The To Do List
by Tricia Belle
Summary: Lucas must complete a list of things to do before Riley agrees to be his girlfriend. Despite the difficulty of some of the tasks, he's confident he'll get through it quickly. But is she really going to make it that easy for him?
1. Chapter One

**Originally this was supposed to be a oneshot, but I figured I might as well make this into a chapter fic otherwise it would've been a really long oneshot. So yeah, I'm very excited about this fic and I hope you all are too! In this, the triangle never happened but ski lodge did and the Rucas interaction in that was just them reconfirming their unofficial thing.**

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Chapter One

The unofficial thing going on between Lucas and Riley had been going on since the day they met back in the seventh grade. Three years later and they were still stuck in that routine. They learned from their parents that they shouldn't rush into things and take things slow until they knew the time was right. And for Lucas, that time was now. He thought three years was more than enough time to really get to know Riley, and his attraction to her kept growing since the day she fell into his lap on the subway.

The first day back from spring break during their sophomore year of high school, Lucas decided he was going to ask Riley to be his girlfriend. To make their unofficial thing, official. He arrived at school early that day, in hopes to find Riley alone at her locker. Riley had gotten into the habit of going to school early with her father ever since Maya had joined the art club and had meetings almost every day before school.

Lucas smiled when he spotted her from across the hallway. Since freshman year he hated that his locker was so far from hers due to the alphabetical order the lockers were assigned in. Their lockers were practically on opposite sides of the school. It didn't matter, though. He spent more time at her locker than his anyway. Plus, she was nice enough to let him use her locker every now and then since it was closer to some of his classes. He took a deep breath and walked over to her. Her head was shoved into her locker, and she didn't sense him coming.

"Hi, Ri," Lucas greeted. After being denied of using 'Riles' as a nickname for Riley by Maya, Lucas had decided to come up with his own nickname for the brunette. Lucas couldn't help but smirk to himself in satisfaction whenever Maya shuddered at the nickname.

The sudden voice startled Riley and she instinctively jerked her head up, banging her head onto the shelf in her locker. Riley then quickly moved her head out of the locker and rubbed her head.

"Ow," Riley said, her hand still gripping her head. She shook her head amusingly and muttered, "Once a klutz, always a klutz." She died of embarrassment on the inside, because somehow things like this only happened when Lucas was around. He didn't mind, though, he thought her clumsiness was absolutely charming.

Lucas couldn't help but to silently chuckle at how adorable she was even with a slowly appearing bump on her head. "Are you okay?"

Riley waved him off as her cheeks flushed red, "I'm fine. Just a little bump."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked. He pointed in the direction behind him with his thumb. "I could get you some ice or something, bring you to the nurse's office."

"That's alright," Riley assured the green eyed boy. She shut her locker and focused her attention on the cute boy standing in front of her. "So how was your spring break, Lucas?" She grinned from ear to ear, evidently happy to finally see him again. Over the spring break, Lucas's parents insisted they spend the week in Austin to visit family since they didn't end up going over the holidays.

"Truthfully, boring," Lucas replied with a fake yawn. He reached for the top of Riley's head, making sure that the bump on her head didn't look suspicious. Riley didn't mind the gesture, she liked his protective and caring nature. Lucas scrunched his face. "I love Texas but I think I love New York a little bit more."

"Hm, I wonder why that is," Riley teased and nudged him, eyes wide.

Lucas rolled his eyes and smirked. They were both fully aware of their feelings for each other. They've talked about it on multiple occasions, and in those conversations, they also talked about how they weren't ready to be official yet. They weren't so sure why they feared labelling each other. Maybe it was because they were both scared of change, and putting a label on whatever relationship they had wasn't necessarily going to be a good thing.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me here," Lucas promised, pinching the brunette's cheeks.

Riley scrunched her face in disgust and swatted his hand away from her face, "Oh, really? What about your childhood friend Zay moving here?"

"It's a close second," Lucas shrugged. He knew Zay would hate him if he heard that, but it didn't matter. Zay was also aware that Riley was the reason why Lucas quickly adjusted and fell in love with New York—and her.

"Mind if I tell Zay that?" Riley smirked.

Lucas quickly shook his head, "Of course I mind!" Although Zay had become close friends with Riley over the years, he didn't exactly approve of her and his best friend having feelings for each other. Neither Riley or Lucas knew why. And Lucas didn't care enough to know, Zay's opinions wouldn't change the way Lucas felt about Riley.

Riley chuckled at Lucas's response. She expected that from him. She knew that even though she was an important part of his life now, Zay was still going to be his priority in one way or another. It was the same for her with Maya.

"How was your break? Did you guys do anything?"

"We went out a couple of times," Riley replied. "Wasn't the same though with you gone. It's always been the clique six."

"Six?" Lucas said, raising an eyebrow. "You mean three. It was always you, Maya, and Farkle. Then I came along, Smackle, then Zay."

"Our circle of friends never felt complete with just the three of us," Riley admitted. "We all keep each other balanced, which was hard when it was just me, Maya, and Farkle."

"Well, we're not very balanced right now, are we?" Lucas pointed out.

"No," Riley shook her head sadly. "Not ever since Farkle and Smackle broke up."

"It's been rough on all of us," Lucas agreed.

"It was hard trying to get everyone together over the break," Riley said. "Farkle and Smackle didn't want to be near each other. They said they'd only come with us if they didn't have to interact with each other. So we just ended up going to the movies a lot of the time."

"At least that's progress," Lucas commented. "Remember when we literally had to split the group in order to hang out with each of them?"

"That was horrible," Riley said. "I spent most of the time with Farkle because Smackle wanted to spend time with you."

"Don't be jealous now," Lucas nudged her. Riley rolled her eyes with an amused smile on her face. "You know she's harmless. Her heart belongs to Farkle."

"I don't think either of them know that," Riley retorted. "They've been so stubborn. And I have a feeling we're going to have to split up at lunch again. The movies didn't exactly go so well."

"They'll come around," Lucas said. He noticed the sudden scheming look on her face. "Don't get involved, Ri, let them figure it out."

"Yeah, yeah," Riley waved him off. She raised her eyebrow, folded her arms and leaned against her locker. "So are you going to tell me why you're at school so early?" Lucas was never the one to be early, especially since he had to wait for Zay all the time, and Zay took forever to get ready in the morning.

"What? I can't be at school early without having a reason?" Lucas put a hand on his chest, playfully offended.

"You want something," Riley assumed. She narrowed her eyes and poked his chest. "You're never early."

"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about something," Lucas sheepishly admitted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He rocked himself on the balls of his feet, avoiding her gaze. "Plus you know I like spending time with you. It's kinda hard to do that with everyone else here."

Riley raised both her eyebrows, entertained. She and Lucas spent a lot of time together, but their solo hang outs were always planned. She concluded that something was up. Lucas was never one to be so spontaneous. But she couldn't say she didn't like this side of him.

"What did you have to talk to me about that's _so_ important that you can't bring it up in front of our friends?" Riley challenged, holding his head between her hands, forcing him to stare into her chocolate brown eyes.

"I don't really think it's their business to know," Lucas replied, taking a step closer to her, putting his hands on her arms to peel them off his face. Riley's breath hitched when she tilted her head up to get a better look at the boy standing dangerously close. If she had no self-control she swore she would've pressed her lips onto his right then and there. "Besides, it's an important talk. You know, the ones that are only between me and you?"

"Huh," Riley breathed. A sheepish smile plastered her face. "Must be really important then."

"Yeah, it is," Lucas nodded. He took her hands into his. He took a deep breath before he asked, "Riley, will you be my girlfriend?" He stared down at her with hopeful eyes. His heart started to beat faster and he couldn't quite understand what he was feeling. Maybe it was the 'clippity clop' feeling that Maya had described whenever she teased him about his feelings for Riley. Nonetheless, the only thing he knew was that from the very beginning, he had every intention of getting Riley Matthews to be his girlfriend.

"What?" Riley blinked her eyes, stunned. She hadn't expected that from Lucas at all. "Girlfriend?"

"Yeah…" Lucas's voice trailed off. He couldn't believe he actually asked her. He honestly didn't think he could go through with it, not when she's _so_ pretty and that whenever they talk about their feelings for each other, his knees go weak and he barely knew what to say.

"We've had an unofficial thing for years," Riley reminded him.

Lucas chuckled softly and nodded, "I know. That's why I wanna move things along."

"By asking me to be your girlfriend?" Riley titled her head to the side.

Lucas nodded.

"I'd love to…" Riley's voice trailed off. Lucas released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "But I need to ask you something first." Lucas gestured for her to continue, eager for her response. "Are you worth it?"

"Yes," Lucas quickly answered. He didn't need another second to think about his answer. Of course he thought he was worthy of Riley Matthews. He had dreamt about the two of them a lot. And in each one of his dreams he treated her like the princess she's always wanted to be. He knew he deserved to be her boyfriend.

"Then prove it," Riley retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. She had grown tired of waiting for this moment. It took him three years to finally make things official, and Riley was not amused. She wanted him to work for it, in exchange for all the time Riley waited. Sure, they came to a mutual agreement in the past to take things slow, but even then, Riley was still hopeful he would ask her to be his girlfriend a lot sooner than he actually did.

Lucas was taken aback by Riley's response. He took a few seconds to process what she just said. He never thought that in a million years that he'd have to prove his feelings for her. It was obvious that he liked her, everyone at school knew it, his parents knew it, and her parents did, too. He didn't think that she would make him prove it. In fact, he expected Riley to be jumping up and down, squealing with joy. But he knew better than to underestimate the brunette.

"How?" he finally responded, furrowing his brows and taking a step back.

Riley pulled out a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of her high waisted jeans. She handed it to him with a straight face. Lucas unfolded it and quickly scanned it. It was a to do list. Lucas was confused as to how it had anything to do with him.

"It's a to do list that you have to complete," Riley said when she realized that Lucas didn't understand what the piece of paper in his hand meant.

"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" Lucas raised a brow. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, especially with certain things he saw on the list, but he knew it would be worth it once he finally had Riley swooning in his arms.

"Very thoroughly," Riley nodded. "Especially in the last week." Riley was a dreamer. Everyone knew it. But at the same time, she was a realist. But not everybody knew that. Early on in their unofficial courtship, Riley knew she wanted Lucas to work for her when the time finally came for him to _really_ ask her out. She thought it was very unrealistic that Lucas thought she would be waiting for him and would jump into his arms the moment _he_ knew he was ready to take things to the next level. Riley, on the other hand, knew she was ready the moment she felt his jealousy firsthand when Lucas thought she wanted to go to the eighth grade semi-formal with Charlie Gardner instead of him. "I want you to complete every item on this list. Then, I'll consider being your girlfriend."

" _Consider_?" Lucas's eyes grew wide. He looked again at the piece of paper in his hand. "There's like a thousand things on this list. When I complete it, you _have_ to be my girlfriend."

"Don't be silly, there's only like ten things on it. I feel like if I added more, you wouldn't complete it," Riley smirked in amusement, unfazed by Lucas's reaction. "And I don't _have_ to do anything, Lucas. You're the first boy I've ever liked, and you know that. I just want to know that I'm not wasting my time on you and that I'm not going to get hurt."

"I would never hurt you, Riles," Lucas promised softly.

"Yeah, I know that," Riley said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked down and gulped. Then she looked up to meet his emerald eyes again. Oh, she could stare into his eyes forever. "But sometimes actions speak louder than words."

"If this is what it takes to prove that I deserve you, then I'll do it," Lucas said, holding the paper up, accepting the challenge. If completing this list is what would make her officially his, what would make her happy, then of course he was going to take the challenge. He was certain he would have her as his girlfriend in the next couple of days.

Riley smiled dreamily. She's glad he's willing to work for her.

"Any questions?" Riley asked as she watched Lucas read through the paper again.

"A couple," Lucas replied, his eyes still on the paper that determined his future with the brunette. "Do I have to do all of this in order? And is there a time limit?"

"Any order you want, no time limit," Riley instructed. "Take as long as you need. I waited three years. I can wait a couple more weeks."

"Weeks?" Lucas repeated. "Ri, I can do this in a couple of days."

"Ha," Riley snorted. "That's cute. We'll see."

Confusion took over Lucas's features. Did she not believe that he could do it in a short amount of time? No, of course she did. She believed in him. But Lucas knew if Riley had been thinking about it for a while, then there was no way she was going to make it easy for him.

"One more thing," Riley raised her index finger. "Our friends can't know. I don't want them helping you. You're on your own." Riley walked away before Lucas had the chance to respond, his face dropping as she does so. He looked over the paper once more.

"Riley Matthews, you are so worth it," he said to himself. He was going to complete every single task on that list. Even if it was the last thing he did.

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 **Don't worry, there will be tons of Rucas moments as Lucas completes the list to win her heart. So what do you guys think so far? I'm looking forward to hearing from you!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Wow, I'm overwhelmed with the response I got from the first chapter. Thank you all so much!**

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Chapter Two

"Lucas," Zay whispered to his best friend who was sitting beside him. They were in history class, their third class of the day, and Zay couldn't help but notice how out of it the green eyed boy was. For the first half of the class, Lucas seemed to be fixated on his textbook in front of him, which was unusual since their teacher, Cory, hadn't even given them any pages to read. And Lucas wasn't one to read ahead.

When Cory was writing on the board with his back facing the class, Zay took this as an opportunity to ask his best friend what was up. But when Lucas didn't answer, Zay took a quick glance at Cory before ripping out a piece of paper from his notebook, crumpled it up, then proceeded to throw it at the boy beside him. That caught his attention.

"Zay, what was that for?" Lucas whispered, turning to Zay. He threw the ball of paper back at him in annoyance.

"You seem out of it," Zay whispered back. He furrowed his brows. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lucas waved it off before resting his head on his desk. He had been thinking about the list all morning. He had looked at the list so much in the past few hours that he had memorized every single thing on it. But he didn't know where to start, and that was his issue. How was he gonna go about fulfilling Riley's wishes of completing that list?

Riley heard the commotion from the back of the classroom and turned around, she made eye contact with Zay, then noticed Lucas with his head down. She cocked her eyebrow, to which Zay only replied with a shrug. Riley faced the front of the classroom again and smirked to herself. She had a feeling she knew what was on Lucas's mind. Not that she consumed his thoughts most of the time, anyway.

Lucas raised his head back up and rested his face in his hand. He stared at the back of Riley's head for the rest of the class. He had tuned out his surroundings that he didn't even realize class had ended until Zay smacked the back of his head.

Lunch time rolled around and Riley, Maya, Lucas, and Zay were once again given the hard task of figuring out whether to sit with Farkle, or with Smackle. Since their breakup, their friends had been splitting their time with the two since they wanted to be nowhere near each other. They knew their friends were never going to choose sides, even though they wanted them to.

Riley looked on opposite sides of the cafeteria, where the two geniuses were sitting respectively. She exchanged looks with Maya before sighing and said, "Guess we'll be with Farkle."

Lucas and Zay exchanged looks as well. They shrugged. Zay replied, "We get Smackle then."

"Cool," Maya nodded.

"We'll see you guys in English?" Lucas asked the girls. But it was obvious who the question was directed to, as green eyes met brown.

Riley flashed an innocent smile, "You will."

The four friends proceeded to go their separate ways. Riley and Maya headed towards Farkle's empty table, while Lucas and Zay walked over to Smackle's. It was a routine they had grown accustomed to, and although they seemed okay with it, they were not. Farkle and Smackle were miserable without each other, and in result, their friends were too.

The girls plopped down their trays onto the table, startling Farkle. He looked up and greeted the two, "Ladies."

"Farkle," they replied in unison.

"Remember when it used to be just us three?" Maya pondered as she tried to open her can of iced tea. That little exchange was reminiscent of their routine greetings back in middle school.

"Those were simpler times then," Riley replied dreamily. As much as she loved that their little friend circle had grown over the years, Riley yearned for the past, when she was younger and was a lot less aware of the real world. Of course, there was the Riley committee that protected Riley's innocence, but she knew they couldn't protect her forever.

"Yup, and I had you two swooning over me," Farkle added with a smile. Before Farkle met Smackle a couple of years ago, Farkle's first loves were Riley and Maya. He'd been in love with them since he met them in the first grade. But as he grew older, he realized his feelings for them were strictly platonic and that his romantic feelings were for Smackle.

"Good times," Riley and Maya simultaneously bobbed their heads.

"So how's your first day back?" Riley asked. With the nature of Farkle's breakup, Riley liked to ask him every once in a while how he was doing. He always assured her and Maya that he was holding up okay, but they didn't believe him.

"Great," Farkle replied. "Felt Smackle's eyes on the back of my head during history, though."

"Don't be ridiculous, Farkle," Maya scrunched her face.

"Yeah," Riley agreed. "She was just probably looking at the board."

"Or she was staring at the back of my head," Farkle shot back.

"I don't get why you and her just don't make up and at least be friends," Maya mused. "It'll make things a lot easier for all of us."

"Hey, I'm not the one who flirts with guys all the time," Farkle argued. "Beings friends would be too hard. Don't talk me into trying to reconcile with her. It's not going to work."

"We're just looking out for you," Riley assured him, covering his hand with hers. "And I know we can't force you to do anything if you don't want to."

"Yeah, we're just giving you suggestions," Maya added with a sheepish smile.

Farkle groaned, "I know your intentions are genuine, it's just that I prefer not talking about her, you know? When I'm with the guys I don't have deal with that kind of stuff. We don't talk about our feelings; we talk about guy stuff."

"Guy stuff, you?" Maya snorted. "Like what?"

"You know, sports!" Farkle replied uneasily.

"What do you know about sports?" Maya challenged. It was a well-known fact that Farkle wasn't very athletic and tried to avoid physical activities in gym class at all times.

"That there's physics involved," Farkle grinned. Maya rolled her eyes.

"But hey, it's not our fault that Smackle prefers to hang out with Lucas and Zay than with us," Riley put a hand to her chest.

"See, that's the problem!" Farkle said. He turned his head and looked across the room. His eyes landed on his ex-girlfriend, who seemed to be flirting with two of his best friends.

* * *

Lucas and Zay didn't mind spending time with Smackle. She was very entertaining. She was very much like Farkle, but far more perky, they would say. The only downside with hanging around her was that she liked to flirt—a lot. Namely, with Lucas, but Zay still felt awkward about it. Now Lucas didn't mind that she flirted with him, he knew she was harmless. She knew her feelings, if you could even call them that, for him weren't real. He realized not everyone knew that, though. But as long as he knew, why did it matter what other people thought about it? He and Smackle were friends, that was all.

"How was your trip to Texas?" Smackle asked. Her elbow was propped up on the table and her head rested in her hand. She stared at him with a goofy smile on her face. "I'm sure you looked mighty fine helping out on your Pappy Joe's ranch."

Lucas let out a dry laugh, "That's funny."

"I can confirm that this is true," Zay chuckled. Lucas shot him a look. "Don't be such a buzzkill. What's gotten into you today?"

"Nothing," Lucas shook his head. He took a quick glance across the room and saw Riley laughing as she threw her head back. He resisted the urge to smile at her beauty and turned back to his friends at the table.

"You sure?" Smackle asked. "You seemed awfully quiet in Mr. Matthews' class."

"Something happen with Riley?" Zay questioned. Zay knew that sudden changes in Lucas's usual mood almost always had something to do with a certain pretty brunette.

"No," Lucas shook his head. "Actually, yes. But it's not what you think!"

Zay and Smackle exchanged looks. Lucas was quick to change the subject. He turned to the raven haired girl, "So, how you holding up, Smackle?"

"In regards to Farkle, I'm assuming?" Smackle replied. Lucas nodded. She shrugged, "Well, I'm not over it, if that says anything."

"What?" Zay stared at her blankly. "I was told that you were over him."

"And who told you that?" Smackle asked.

"Farkle," Zay replied.

Smackle scoffed, "Yeah, okay. Contrary to popular belief, I am actually not over him. But don't tell him that. I'm sure he's over me."

"Farkle, over you?" Zay snorted. "Ha! Good one, Smacks."

Smackle creased her forehead, "What?"

"Oh, come on," Lucas sighed. "Don't tell me you didn't realize he was staring over here for the past couple of minutes."

"I honestly didn't," she pursed her lips.

Lucas turned his head and looked over at Farkle's table, then looked back at Smackle.

"You both still have feelings for each other, you know," Lucas said. He paused. A smirk suddenly appeared on his face. He decided that the first thing on the list he would do was to get Farkle and Smackle back together. As people of science, the two geniuses were never good at feelings, but managed to last two years as a couple. Eventually their lack of communication about their feelings became too much, and so Farkle ended it. Farkle was very willing to share his feelings with Smackle, but she was never quite willing to do the same.

Instead, Smackle would flirt with Lucas in front of Farkle, which Lucas viewed as innocent, but of course, Farkle took it the wrong way. Farkle got fed up with the flirting and when Smackle wouldn't give him a reason why she always did what she did, he broke up with her. And expectedly, she didn't show any emotion towards the breakup, angering Farkle more. It was an insensitive move on his part, as he was well-aware of Smackle's condition. But still, he didn't like the fact that she couldn't share her feelings with him. He felt that she couldn't trust him, and trust was an important part of any relationship.

"You know what. Why don't Riley and Maya have lunch with you today. Zay and I need a word with Farkle," Lucas said. Before Smackle could answer, Lucas already pulled Zay and dragged him to the other side of the cafeteria.

"What are we doing—" Zay resisted in Lucas's grip.

"I'm scheming," Lucas said, tightening his grip on Zay's arm.

"You want to meddle with the geniuses?"

"Uh huh."

"What, do you think you're Riley?" Zay huffed.

"Hush, Zay!" Lucas retorted as they got to their destination. Lucas knew that Riley so badly wanted to reconcile the geniuses, but for some reason, she wanted him to do it. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't question it. A Smackle and Farkle reunion would benefit everybody in the group anyway.

"Ri, change of plans," Lucas nudged Riley, standing behind her. She looked up at him and smiled. He gestured to Farkle, "We'll take Farkle."

Riley looked at Lucas with a confused expression. Then she looked at Farkle, who shrugged. She turned to Maya, but she was already halfway across the room to Smackle's table. Riley said, "Yeah, sure."

Lucas and Zay sat down at the table and waited until Riley was out of earshot when Lucas spoke up, "I'm going to get you and Smackle back together."

* * *

The group's usual after school study sessions were on hiatus for a while. At least, they held off on having them since Farkle and Smackle broke up. Riley knew for sure neither of them would show up, and she didn't feel complete without having them there. So instead, Riley and Maya had their own study date in Riley's bedroom. Riley laid on her stomach on her bed with her books in front of her, while Maya sat cross-legged at the bay window with her laptop.

"What's up with Huckleberry?" Maya asked when Riley brought up the events that happened during lunch earlier.

"What do you mean?" Riley asked, her gaze on her textbook.

"I feel like there's tension between you two," Maya shrugged. "He's acting a bit out of character, I would say. What'd you do?"

"Well, he came and talked to me this morning," Riley said. "Before school."

"And?" Maya urged for the brunette to continue.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend," Riley replied nonchalantly as she scribbled in her notebook.

Maya's eyes grew wide and a grin was plastered onto her face. She placed her laptop beside her and got up from the window. She jumped onto Riley and squeezed her. She squealed, "Ah! I'm so happy for you! Congrats!" When Maya realized Riley wasn't sharing the same enthusiasm as her, she rolled off of her and studied her face. "Why aren't you squealing? You should be happier than I am."

"I told him no," Riley said flatly.

"What?" Maya frowned. "Why in the world would you do that? You're insane, Matthews. You've had a crush on the boy since the day he transferred. Who the hell possessed you to say no?"

Riley hadn't told Maya about the list. In fact, she hadn't even told her she was making one. Riley thought that it would be best to keep it between her and Lucas. After all, it was their business, and she couldn't risk having other people judge and have their say in her and Lucas's relationship.

"I'm just not ready," Riley shrugged.

Maya narrowed her eyes, "I don't believe that one bit, Riles. You always complain that he's taking too long to make it official. When he finally tries to, you say no. Why?"

"I want to take things slow."

"Slow?" Maya repeated. She scoffed. "I've been watching this thing. It's been the slowest three years of my life. That's really slow, even for you two. Thought you would've put a label on your relationship after a year. But three? That's really pushing it. What gives?"

"It's better not to rush things, Maya," Riley said calmly. She was really close to caving in and telling the blonde about her situation with Lucas.

" _Three years_ , Riles," Maya raised an eyebrow. A sudden thought hit her. She stared blankly at Riley. "Oh my god. You don't have feelings for him anymore, do you?"

"No, of course I do!" Riley retorted. She was somewhat offended that the blonde would even have that thought.

"Then why did you say no?" Maya asked. Her eyes lit up. "Is there another guy? Ooh, is it Charlie?"

"No, there is no other guy!" Riley snapped. She couldn't believe how obnoxious Maya was being right now. Maya was never one to pry about her relationship with Lucas, in fact, Riley always spared certain details when she'd talk about him as per Maya's request. "And if there was, it definitely would _not_ be Charlie."

"Now, you know I'm not usually interested in the topic of Ranger Rick, Riley," Maya said. "But I know you're not telling me something. I sense it. And I'm quite offended. As much as I hate hearing about him, I still like to know relevant points when it comes to the two of you, you know that."

"I told you the relevant point," Riley shrugged. "He asked me out."

"And you said no," Maya pointed out. She rolled onto her stomach and propped her head up in her hands. "There must be a reason. You would've jumped at the chance and we both know that."

"I'm tired of waiting around, Maya," Riley sighed. She caved. She knew she couldn't keep certain things from the blonde, no matter how much she wanted to. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't do it. Maya was far too important in her life to be denied some important talks. Of course, these important talks were different from the ones she would have with Lucas. "So I gave him a list of things to do to prove that to me that he deserves to be my boyfriend."

Maya furrowed her brows in confusion. She held her index finger in the air. "You're tired of waiting around… so now you're waiting more." She applauded her best friend mockingly. "Good job, Riley. Great plan."

"Don't use that tone with me," Riley huffed, sitting upright on her bed. "I know what I'm doing."

"And what is that, honey?" Maya asked.

"I don't want to waste my time if he turns out to be a jerk," Riley said. "I know a lot of guys wouldn't even be willing to work to get someone to be their girlfriend. Lucas is at least willing to do the tasks on the list. And when he completes the entire thing, then I know he's worth it."

"Huh," Maya breathed. "That's actually not a bad plan at all."

"It's not," Riley said, shaking her head with a smile. "It's a well thought out plan."

"So what does Ranger Rick have to do?" Maya nudged the brunette. "What's on the list, huh?"

"I'm not telling you," Riley said. She pursed her lips. "I've told you enough."

"Oh, come on, please?" Maya pushed the brunette again, but this time with enough force for Riley to fall on her pillow. "I'm your best friend."

"Not a chance," Riley smirked.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" Maya suggested with a hopeful tone.

Riley sighed and sat up again, "Fine. One of them involves you."

"Me?" Maya smiled, flattered. Her eyes fluttered. "What about me?"

"Not telling," Riley bit her lip. As much as she wanted to tell Maya every single thing she put on that list, she knew she couldn't. She didn't want any outside forces interfering with her and Lucas. Lucas was going to complete that list, and Riley was sure he was going to do it all on his own.

* * *

 **You'll find out the rest of the things on the list as the story progresses. I didn't want to include the entire list at the beginning because I want to keep you guys in suspense, haha. Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter Three

**This chapter is loosely based off GM Sweet Sixteen minus Zay because I couldn't get him in. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Three

Lucas had convinced Farkle to let him help with Smackle. Farkle didn't argue, but he didn't exactly agree to it either. He was very neutral about the whole thing. Nonetheless, he was curious as to what the boy had up his sleeve, all the while being skeptical. Though Lucas could swear that he saw Farkle's eyes light up when Lucas came up with a plan.

Now it was well known that out of the six friends, it was always Riley who was dubbed as 'the fixer.' Riley was the one who would solve problems within the group. On rare occasions she would be the cause of the problem, such as that fight they all got into on the first day of freshman year. However, her problem solving always worked. She was very good at that. On the other hand, Lucas had little experience in meddling. The only experience he had was whenever Riley would ask him for help. He wasn't sure that his plan was going to work, especially when compared to all of Riley's elaborate plans in the past, but of course he couldn't tell Farkle that.

"So can you explain to me why I agreed to this again?" Farkle said when he opened the front door of his apartment to let Lucas in. Farkle agreed for Lucas to come over before school the next day so they could talk about last minute changes to their plan—or rather, Lucas's plan.

"Because you both still love each other and are miserable without each other in your lives," Lucas replied as the two made their way to Farkle's large bedroom. "Also you're both clearly not over each other so why torture yourselves being apart?"

"If she wasn't over me she wouldn't continue to flirt with you," Farkle huffed. He sat down on one of the reclining chairs in the room, prompting Lucas to sit in the one beside him.

"You don't get it, do you?" Lucas shook his head. "Smackle doesn't like me."

"I beg to differ," Farkle replied, rolling his eyes. "She looks at you with heart eyes. She's never looked at me that way in the two years we were together."

"Yeah, you totally don't get it," Lucas confirmed, reclining his chair back.

"You know, you're the last person I'd expect to meddle," Farkle said. It was true. Lucas was always so protective of his friends, but whenever it came to meddling, he never got involved unless absolutely necessary. And a lot of the time, his solutions were more physical than Riley's. "I thought Riley would've done something by now."

"Riley doesn't want to get involved," Lucas shook his head.

"And why not?" Farkle asked.

"She doesn't like it when people butt into our relationship, or lack thereof," Lucas replied with a shrug. In truth, he didn't know the reason why she hadn't done anything about it yet. But the reason he thought of made sense. "So she doesn't want to do that to others."

"Lack thereof," Farkle snorted. "When are you going to ask her to be your girlfriend, man?"

"I'm not sure," Lucas tried to hide his smile. It was a question he received a lot from his friends over the years, especially in the past couple of months. Everybody was tired of waiting to see when Riley and Lucas would become boyfriend and girlfriend. "Maybe in a couple of days. Maybe in a couple of weeks? Who knows? I'll ask her when the time is right."

"Just reminding you, it's been three years," Farkle said. He pointed to his wristwatch, "Tick tock, Lucas."

Lucas rolled his eyes. If only Farkle knew.

"This isn't about me and Riley," Lucas said, waving Farkle off. "This is about you and Smackle. Why can't you just admit your feelings for each other?"

"I can!" Farkle retorted. "It's her who can't talk about feelings." He sighed, "Are you sure this is going to work? You're not exactly known for your schemes."

"This is my first one," Lucas pointed out. He sat up in his chair. "But I know this will work."

"And what if it doesn't?" Farkle challenged.

"Trust me, it will," Lucas assured him.

"I would've rather Riley come up with something," Farkle muttered. "At least I know her plans work."

"Oh, hush. She didn't want to get involved, okay?" Lucas reminded him.

"And you did?" Farkle deadpanned.

"I'd do anything to protect my friends," Lucas replied.

"And what exactly are you protecting me from?" Farkle raised a brow.

"Your feelings."

"Touché."

* * *

In history class, everyone was given free time to work on the textbook questions that were assigned. That meant they were also allowed to talk amongst themselves, given that they weren't too loud. Riley and Maya obviously opted to be partners, as they wouldn't have it any other way. Lucas and Zay, Farkle and Smackle, would usually be partners, but due to obvious circumstances, that wasn't the case this time around. Zay and Farkle were partners, and Lucas offered to be Smackle's, to which she dreamily obliged.

Lucas wasn't much help to Smackle, unlike Farkle, who always was. Instead, Smackle was explaining to Lucas what the correct answers were. Lucas was pretty smart, but he didn't know as much as his genius friends. But he didn't mind, he liked learning from them.

"You really know your stuff, Smackle," Lucas complimented.

"Of course I do," Smackle smiled. "It's not science but I still like to learn other things like history."

"The hardest part for me is always remembering names and dates," Lucas said. "Which is what history is basically all about. I'm sure you can guess I'm not doing too well this semester."

"Memorization gets easier with practice and repetition," Smackle replied before resuming to scribble in her notebook.

As Smackle was preoccupied with her work, Lucas decided to focus his gaze on a certain brunette in the front of the room. Lucas thought she looked pretty today, but she looked pretty every day. He sighed contently at the sight of her. He was glad she wasn't paying attention, he knew for sure if she caught him, she would make fun of him for the next week.

Lucas noticed Riley excuse herself and leave the classroom, so he thought it was the perfect time to put his plan into action. He didn't want her knowing he was up to something, although she would figure it out anyway.

"Hey, are you doing anything after school?" Lucas asked, prompting Smackle to look up at him.

"No, just studying quantum physics, why?" Smackle raised a brow. Now that Smackle was single and had lots of free time, she took the opportunity to develop more effective study habits.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at the bakery with me?" Lucas flashed a smile.

"Like, a study date?" Smackle asked, a bit confused.

"No, no studying," Lucas shook his head with a chuckle.

Smackle was taken by surprise by the offer. She didn't think too much about it though. Smackle herself knew that although Lucas was pretty to look at, her feelings for him were not romantic. She shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I can study quantum physics another time."

"Great," Lucas replied. "I'll meet you there at four thirty."

Unbeknownst to the two, Maya had heard the conversation and took it the wrong way. She silently gasped and her mouth dropped. Boy, Riley wasn't going to be happy when she heard about this. Lucas was supposed to be completing the list Riley had given him to prove that he was worthy of her. He wasn't supposed to be flirting with someone else. Maya was starting to like him less and less, not that she was too fond of him to begin with, and she was going to make sure Riley knew.

* * *

Maya was in art class, her favorite class other than Spanish. It was a class she shared with only Farkle. Farkle only took the class because he wanted to prove to himself that he was good in the arts as well. Besides, he thought it was refreshing not having to memorize any theories or formulas.

Their assignment today was to draw famous landmarks from all over the world. Farkle opted to draw the CN Tower, while Maya decided to draw the Roman Colosseum. The two friends sat beside each other, as they didn't know anyone else in that class, nor did they care enough to get to know anyone. They already had a well-established group of friends, why should they ruin that?

"Hey, don't get mad, but I need to tell you something," Maya whispered to the genius as she watched him sketch his drawing.

"I don't get mad," Farkle said, not turning to the blonde. He was a very level-headed person. It would take a whole lot to piss him off.

"Okay," Maya sighed. "Not sure how to tell you this but… uh, well, I overheard Lucas ask Smackle out."

Farkle shrugged.

Maya furrowed her brows, "You're not the least bit worried about this? It's your woman, Farkle! And your best friend? What is going on…"

"I don't really care," Farkle replied.

"Why not?" Maya urged.

"She can do whatever she wants," Farkle retorted. "We broke up, remember?"

"So you're okay with this, freckle?" Maya asked, using a nickname that she knew he would react to.

"Quit calling me freckle," Farkle huffed, scribbling onto her sketchpad in frustration. "Smackle and I are over, you know that. She can date who she wants, whether it be my best friend or not."

"But it's Lucas," Maya said with a confused look. "I had no idea he was into her."

"Really? Do you not see them flirt with each other? I'm not entirely sure how Riley's okay with it," Farkle snapped. "How can Riley be so secure about Lucas having feelings for her when Smackle sits there and flirts with him in front of all of us?!"

"I don't know how _you're_ okay with it," Maya growled.

"Because she's not mine anymore, Maya," Farkle pointed out. "Get that through your head."

"I refuse to believe it." Maya shook her head. She began to erase the markings Farkle had made on her paper. "Lucas and Smackle would never work."

"They could if you let them try."

Maya raised an eyebrow. Why were her friends acting so strange? She knew _for sure_ that Farkle would be annoyed about Lucas and Smackle. It was part of the reason he broke up with her.

* * *

Maya wasn't sure how to tell Riley what she overheard earlier that day in history class. She was worried that Riley was going to overreact, because that's how Riley was, especially when it came to Lucas. Maya remembered the Missy Bradford situation back in the seventh grade, and Riley wasn't too thrilled about it. So Maya didn't expect her to act all nonchalant about it the way Farkle did. Maya knew Riley wasn't going to listen to what she was going to say, so she decided to show her instead.

"What are we doing here, Maya?" Riley asked as Maya pulled her into Topanga's. She spotted her mother as well as Maya's mother and waved to them. "You know none of our friends are going to be here."

"Oh, really?" Maya cocked a brow. "There's something you might want to see."

Maya gestured to the dirty blonde boy and raven haired girl sitting dangerously close to each other on the loveseat. Riley glanced over at them and raised both brows when she saw Lucas smiling at Smackle all goofy. She gasped. Now Riley wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but she knew he was up to something.

"Huh, this is going to be interesting," Riley huffed. She turned and sat in the nook in the corner of the bakery, and Maya followed.

"Really, Riles," Maya deadpanned. She was not amused by how well Riley was taking this. Riley should be screaming right now, she should be interrupting whatever it was going on between Lucas and Smackle. She wasn't supposed to be this calm. "Your almost boyfriend is cheating on you with one of our closest friends and you're just going to sit here and watch?"

"I don't think he's cheating on me, Maya," Riley replied. "And even if he was. He wouldn't be. Because we're not officially together."

"Oh, don't get all technical with me, Ms. Matthews," Maya waved her off. "You're not one bit worried about this?"

"I trust him," Riley assured the blonde. Maya sighed in defeat. The two sat there as they watched the situation unfold.

"So if this isn't a study date, what would you consider this to be?" Smackle asked, staring at the two smoothies on the table in front of them.

"It could be a date date," Lucas smirked, inching closer to her. Smackle suddenly felt uncomfortable. She did _not_ see that coming. She had no idea he was even interested in her. All their interactions prior to this was usually one-sided on her part.

"Really? A date?" Smackle urged. She gulped.

"Yeah," Lucas shrugged.

"What about Riley?" she narrowed her eyes. She'd never want to hurt Riley's feelings, especially when she was the one who helped Smackle understand hers.

"What about her?" Lucas stretched his arm over the back of the seat. Smackle closed her eyes for a couple of seconds to take in what was happening. She opened them again and looked at him.

"Don't you like her?" Smackle asked. She titled her head. "Or more than like her? I've been watching this thing for years, Lucas. We all know you're not into me."

"Well, your flirting got to me Smackle," Lucas said, tapping his fingers on the seat. The sound irritated Smackle as she was aware how close his hand was to resting on her shoulder.

"Shoot," Smackle muttered. "It wasn't supposed to."

"What, why not?" Lucas gasped.

Smackle sighed and turned her body to face him, "I don't really like you, Lucas."

"What?" Lucas pretended to act surprised.

Smackle nodded sadly, unaware of Lucas's knowledge.

"What about all the times you flirted with me?" Lucas folded his hands and placed them in his lap.

Smackle hung her head in shame, "I only say those things because I get insecure."

"You get insecure about? What?" Lucas pressed.

"I get insecure that Farkle doesn't really like me," Smackle sighed.

Lucas smirked. He was getting somewhere. His plan was starting to work, and he couldn't have been more satisfied with himself.

Farkle shot up from behind the counter, startling Smackle in the process. Maya and Riley, still at the back of the bakery, gasped. It took Riley a second to process what was going on, but she realized what Lucas was really doing. She smirked to herself. Maya took notice of this and furrowed her brows. Maya was still completely lost. Wasn't Farkle over Smackle? Or at least he said he was?

"I do like you, Isadora, a lot," Farkle said. "More than that, even."

"What are you doing here?!" Smackle panicked. Had he been there the whole time? Her heart began to race; she was embarrassed that he had heard everything she said.

"I was always insecure that you had feelings for Lucas," Farkle admitted, disregarding Smackle's question. He walked over to her and sat down beside her, prompting Lucas to get up and move to another seat, unaware of Riley and Maya's presence in the back of the bakery. "And you never denied it whenever I'd ask."

"I'm not good with feelings, Farkle, or talking about them," Smackle explained. She sighed, "I'm sorry if you felt like my feelings for you weren't real."

"I'm sorry for ever doubting you," Farkle said. "Lucas knew, but I didn't."

"Hey, that was the only reason why I let the comments go on," Lucas said. "Because I knew that Smackle never really meant them and she had a reason for saying those things."

"Huh," Farkle breathed. "And you never said anything to me whenever I'd snap at you thinking that Smackle liked you and you didn't do anything to stop it?"

Lucas shrugged, "I tried once. You wouldn't listen."

"Well, I'm sorry I doubted you," Farkle said. "I should've known there were no feelings involved. Especially when you have heart eyes for Riley."

"Heart eyes?" Smackle scoffed. "Not even. The way he looks at her, it looks like his eyes are going to fall out of his head."

Lucas protested, "Does not!"

"Yeah, actually, it kinda does," Farkle laughed. He turned back to Smackle. "But anyway… are we good?"

"Of course, my beloved," Smackle intertwined her hand with Farkle's and gave it an assuring squeeze. "I promise I'll try better to talk about my feelings with you… starting now."

As Smackle and Farkle reconciled, Riley walked over to Lucas and sat beside him. She nudged him playfully. When she got his attention, he smiled. A look of confusion took over his face, "Were you there the whole time?"

"Uh huh," Riley nodded. "At first I wasn't sure what you were doing, but I knew you'd never try to do anything to hurt me, especially since you have heart eyes for me."

"Heart eyes, huh," Lucas breathed. "You heard that?"

Riley chuckled, "I did. It's true, though."

"Is not!" Lucas whined. It reminded Riley of arguing with a five-year-old, which she thought was kinda cute.

"It's okay," Riley inched her face closer to his and looked at him all goofy. He chuckled then she backed away.

"Your heart eyes are cuter," Lucas laughed.

"I know," Riley grinned. "By the way," she smirked and gestured to Farkle and Smackle who were smiling contently at each other, "well done." And that was all it took for Lucas to be motivated to move onto the next task. Psh, this was going to be _so_ easy. Lucas was definitely going to get everything done by this time next week.

* * *

 **Riley making heart eyes at Lucas... oh, the feels. But one task down, nine more to go!**


	4. Chapter Four

**I'm actually having so much fun writing these cute little unofficial!Rucas scenes. Makes me so giddy.**

* * *

Chapter Four

The following day, things went back to normal. The six friends were able to sit at the same table at lunch, and they finally resumed their study sessions at Topanga's after school. However, the session didn't last for very long, as Smackle and Farkle decided to make up for lost time and went out for dinner. Riley and Maya went straight to Riley's apartment to talk at the bay window, and Zay decided to go with Lucas to the Friar residence.

"I still can't believe you got Farkle and Smackle back together," Zay said. He laid in Lucas's bed, tossing a basketball in the air and then catching it. "For a couple of geniuses you'd think they'd be smart enough to figure it out themselves."

Lucas sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop. He shrugged, "They just needed a little push."

"So you'll play matchmaker for them but you can't ask Riley out?" Zay pointed out, continuing to play with the basketball.

Lucas rolled his eyes. He was glad Zay didn't notice.

"Mind your business, Zay," Lucas said. He knew he was being petty with his next statement but he didn't care. "You were never one to be so interested in me and her."

"I'm just saying, man," Zay replied. "Don't need to get all sassy with me."

"What about you? Why don't you get yourself a girlfriend?" Lucas countered. He didn't mean to come off as rude, he just didn't like it when people pressured him in regards to his and Riley's unofficial relationship.

"Because Vanessa's the only girl for me," Zay said, sitting upright with the basketball in his lap.

"You guys have been broken up for months," Lucas replied. Zay's ex-girlfriend Vanessa broke it off a couple of months ago due to distance, or at least that's what she said the reason was. Maybe it was just coincidental that she just so happened to be dating a new guy a week after she broke up with Zay.

A light bulb went off in Zay's head. "If you helped Farkle and Smackle get back together, do you think you could get Vanessa to give me another chance?"

"First of all," Lucas began, turning his chair around to face Zay, "Vanessa's in Texas. Second of all, she has a new boyfriend. Third of all, you're a sophomore on the varsity basketball team, you can get any girl you want. You could seduce a cheerleader if you wanted to. But no, you're still hung up on Vanessa."

"Hey, you're on the varsity team too," Zay pointed out. "But I don't see you seducing any cheerleaders."

"I'm with Riley," Lucas reminded him.

"Unofficially," Zay said.

"I'm still with her," Lucas retorted.

"Right."

"I'm just saying, open yourself up to some other girls," Lucas sighed. "Vanessa's not worth your time. It's not fair that you're here moping around because of her while she's having the time of her life with this new guy she met."

"You're right," Zay breathed. "I need to get over her."

"Yeah, you do," Lucas nodded.

"Alright, I'm gonna get going then," Zay said, throwing the basketball to Lucas, who caught it and placed it on the floor. Zay got up and was about to exit the room when he said, "Remember, basketball practice after school tomorrow. We have a game Friday."

Lucas waved Zay off, "Yeah, yeah. I don't need practice."

"Don't be so cocky, Friar," Zay said. "It's not a good look on you."

"See you tomorrow, Zay," Lucas rolled his eyes with an annoyed smile.

When Zay left the room, Lucas took out the piece of paper that he had been obsessing over in the past forty-eight hours. He marked off the task he had completed the day before: get Farkle and Smackle back together. He was satisfied with himself, he had some doubt that his plan wouldn't work. But it did. And that's all that mattered because Farkle and Smackle were happy again, and all six of them were able to hang out with no tension, just like they used to.

After contemplating about it for at least ten minutes, Lucas came to a conclusion on what his next task would be. Bond with Riley's little brother, Auggie. Lucas was fond of the eight-year-old, but sometimes he intimidated him. Especially that one time Auggie had asked to speak with him, and he threatened him not to hurt his sister. Not that he would actually do it. He would never hurt Riley. Ever. And if he ever did by accident, he would never forgive himself. And of course, as promised, Auggie would never let him live it down.

Now that he was thinking about Riley, he couldn't resist the urge to grab his phone and call her. Besides, it was the regular routine he found himself in. One of them would call the other every other night, and they'd just talk. It was what they did best. It was one of the few moments they shared alone, without their friends. They preferred to talk in person, but with Cory putting a curfew on Lucas's stays at the bay window, having late night phone calls were the next best thing.

"Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night?" Lucas asked as soon as Riley picked up. He fiddled with the pencil in his hand while his other hand held up his phone to his ear. He wasn't quite sure why, but he always found himself a bit nervous whenever he was on the phone with her.

"I'm going over to Maya's for dinner with Aunt Katy and Uncle Shawn," Riley replied. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed with her laptop in front of her, binge watching one of her favorite shows. "Why, did you want to hang out?"

"Nope," Lucas replied, tapping the pencil on his desk. "I was just wondering."

"Don't you have practice tomorrow?" Riley asked. She was updated on Lucas's weekly schedule. A lot of the time she was the one reminding him of things going on throughout the week. She was like his own personal calendar. A cute one at that. He thought it was sweet that she remembered his weekly schedule.

"I do," Lucas confirmed with a nod, though he was fully aware Riley couldn't see him. "I have stuff to do after."

"Huh." A smirk crept on Riley's lips. "Working on that list, perhaps?"

"You know it," Lucas sheepishly confirmed. "By the way. Game on Friday. Please come?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Riley gushed. She loved going to watch Lucas's basketball games. He and Zay were the only sophomore on the varsity team, which in result made them two of the most popular players on the team. Cheerleaders always seemed to swoon over Lucas, but Riley didn't quite mind. She knew he was hers.

"I know you wouldn't," Lucas breathed. Even if he didn't ask, he knew Riley would attend his game regardless. She always attended his games. He loved that she supported him and had so much faith in him. She was his lucky charm, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play well if he didn't see her in the stands cheering him on. It was a silly thing, to rely on her so much. But he couldn't help it. She was the one person that made him believe he could do anything he set his mind to.

"You know, I'm very impressed with how you handled the Farkle and Smackle thing," Riley said, changing the topic. "I wasn't sure if you could pull it off, but you did."

Lucas chuckled and asked jokingly, "You didn't believe in me, huh?"

"Of course I do," Riley assured him. She giggled. "It was funny because Maya thought you were cheating on me."

"In order for that to happen we would have to be boyfriend and girlfriend first," Lucas pointed out.

"I know, I told her that," Riley replied. She shook her head. Riley was never sure about Maya's opinion on the two. Sometimes she supported them, and sometimes the blonde was so against Lucas, claiming that he wasn't good enough for Riley. "I'm sure she's convinced we're actually secretly together."

"We are, aren't we?" Lucas joked.

"If we are, then I didn't get the memo," Riley laughed.

"Shoot, I've been meaning to tell you," Lucas continued jokingly.

"Maya was also convinced that you and Smackle have feelings for each other," Riley informed him.

"Me and Smackle? Never in a million years," Lucas shook his head. "Smackle's cool and all and I like hanging out with her, but I don't see myself with a girl like her. Plus, I would never do that to Farkle. Even with his permission."

"Who do you see yourself with then?" Riley cocked a brow, interested in what he had to say.

"Damn it, Ri, you know who," Lucas said after taking a deep breath. He smiled and added, "I have no time for your stupidly obvious questions. Not when I have a list of things to do."

"Glad to hear that," Riley heard the smile in Lucas's voice, causing her to smile in return. "I hope it doesn't cut into our Riley and Lucas time, though."

"We'll have plenty of Riley and Lucas time after I complete this list," Lucas pointed out. "Besides, we're talking right now. Doesn't this count as Riley and Lucas time?"

"True…" Riley's voice trailed off. "Well, I can't wait till you finish it."

"Me neither," Lucas replied dreamily. He dropped his pencil on his desk. "Are you doing anything right now?"

"Uh, no, not really," Riley answered with a shrug. She slowly closed her laptop, put it on her nightstand and laid down in her bed. "I was just watching Red Planet Diaries. But it can wait."

"Wanna talk for a bit?" Lucas asked with a hopeful tone. He slid back into his seat.

"Of course," Riley smiled. "You're one of my favorite people to talk to."

* * *

After basketball practice the next day, Lucas went straight to the Matthews' apartment to complete his next task. He wasn't sure if this was going to work out, but he had to try. With the way his Farkle and Smackle plan turned out, he was feeling pretty lucky that things were going to work out in his favor.

Lucas knocked on the door and waited for a response. It took a bit, but Cory answered the door.

"Mr. Friar," Cory greeted with a delighted expression. He was fond of Lucas, but of course he wasn't going to let his daughter know that. "Riley isn't here."

"I know, Sir," Lucas shook his head. "But I'm not here to see Riley."

Cory donned a confused expression. He pointed to himself reluctantly. Lucas chuckled and shook his head again, "Not here to see you either, Sir."

"Well, I think it's strange you're here to see my wife," Cory shrugged. "But okay. Topanga!"

"Not Mrs. Matthews either," Lucas said.

"There's no one left in my family besides Auggie," Cory frowned. Whatever game Lucas was playing; Cory didn't like it.

Lucas nodded, "Yup, him."

"You're here to see Auggie? Sure, why not," Cory replied with a shrug. He stepped aside to let Lucas into the apartment. He then called out, "Auggie, you have a visitor!"

"Ava!" Auggie ran excitedly into the room only to be disappointed with Lucas's presence. Auggie frowned and narrowed his eyes. "You're not Ava." He crossed his arms and added, "Riley's not here you know."

"I know that," Lucas nodded. "I'm here to see you, bud."

Auggie looked to Cory, who only shrugged. He was just as confused as Auggie was. Auggie turned back to Lucas. "What do you want?"

"Maybe we could do something," Lucas reluctantly offered. "I could take you to the arcade or the movies or something. Maybe have some pizza and ice cream."

Auggie's eyes lit up. He was definitely interested in this offer. He wasn't quite sure why Lucas decided to ask him to hang out all of a sudden, but he wasn't opposed to it. If Lucas was going to be a part of the family someday, he might as well get to know his future brother-in-law a little better.

"Are you trying to get my approval?" Auggie stepped closer to Lucas and looked up at him. "To make sure you're good enough for Riley?"

Lucas chuckled and shook his head, "No, Auggie. I just wanted to hang out with you."

"Good," Auggie huffed. "Because my opinion doesn't matter much to her anyway." He turned to Cory, "Dad, can I go hang out with Lucas?"

"Sure, bud," Cory nodded, patting his son on the back. "Be back by nine, alright?"

"Okay, thanks!" Auggie happily skipped out of the apartment, leaving Cory and Lucas dumbfounded.

"Take good care of my son, Lucas," Cory instructed.

Lucas nodded, "Of course, Sir."

* * *

"So, Auggie, what did you want to do?" Lucas asked as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. He and Auggie were walking down the street, headed towards the nearest subway station.

"Well, I've been wanting to watch that new James Bond movie but Riley never wants to take me," Auggie said. "She'd rather watch chick flicks with Maya."

Lucas laughed, "I know. One time I made her watch an Avengers movie with me but she got bored. _Bored_. How do you get bored of Iron Man?!"

"Right?!" Auggie agreed. "Can we go see James Bond?"

"Yeah, of course!" Lucas replied enthusiastically.

The two arrived at the movie theatre after a ten-minute subway ride. Lucas bought popcorn for him and Auggie to enjoy while watching the movie. Auggie enjoyed the movie very much, making commentary every once in a while that kept Lucas chuckling. After the movie, they headed to a pizza parlor that also had an arcade inside.

"I'm not exactly sure why you wanted to hang out with me," Auggie said as the two faced each other in air hockey. "But I gotta say, I'm having a good time."

"Good," Lucas smiled. He joked, "Honestly, I just got tired of hanging out with Riley so I asked you."

The joke didn't sit well with Auggie, as he narrowed his eyes and halted the game. Lucas widened his eyes and quickly retreated, "You know I'm kidding. I love hanging out with your sister."

"Remember what I told you a couple years back?"

"Not to hurt her?"

"Exactly."

They played a couple more games before they ordered pizza. Afterwards, they continued to play more games. A basketball game caught Auggie's eye and challenged Lucas to play against him.

"You sure you wanna face me?" Lucas raised a brow, watching as Auggie inserted the tokens into the machine.

"Riley said you were a good basketball player," Auggie said. He gestured for Lucas to insert tokens into his own machine, to which Lucas obliged. "She's taken me to a couple of your games, I don't think you're all that."

"Okay," Lucas shrugged with a smile. The game started and Lucas obviously went a little easy on Auggie, which resulted in the curly haired boy to win.

"Not bad," Auggie shook Lucas's hand after the friendly game. Lucas chuckled. Auggie's personality was a lot like Riley's, which made it a lot easier for Lucas to connect with him.

"Here," Lucas ripped the tickets he got from the game and put it in his bucket. He then handed the bucket to Auggie.

"Really?" Auggie looked at his bucket of tickets and then at Lucas's. He was reluctant to accept the offer, but Lucas insisted.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "Let's go get some prizes."

They made their way to the prize booth and a teddy bear caught both Auggie and Lucas's eye. Lucas pointed at it and said, "Hey, that looks like Riley's bear that you chewed the face off of."

Auggie nodded amusingly and chuckled to himself, "Good times." Auggie gave the buckets of tickets to the attendant and then they were given a paper with the number of tickets they had. Auggie realized he had enough for the bear, so that's what he got.

"Thanks for a fun night, Lucas," Auggie smiled and hugged the taller boy.

"Anytime, kiddo," Lucas replied and ruffled Auggie's hair. "Now let's get you home."

Lucas took Auggie back to the Matthews apartment and arrived at exactly nine o'clock. Riley answered the door. She had a pleasantly surprised look on her face as she looked at her little brother standing there with Lucas. She smirked, "Huh, right on time."

"Your dad tell ya?" Lucas asked. Riley nodded. She folded her arms over her chest and rested against the doorframe. She was very amused. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Riley shook her head.

"I had so much fun, Riley!" Auggie bounced as he talked, clutching the bear to his chest. "Why don't you ever take me out to do fun things?"

Lucas laughed as Riley gasped, offended. Riley didn't even try to defend herself, she knew he was right. As much as she loved her baby brother, she wasn't into a lot of his interests. She'd try to get into them, or at least pretend to be interested, but she never succeeded. She thought that Lucas would be able to fill that void in Auggie's life, which is partly why she put that task on the list. That, and she wanted to make sure that they got along.

"Why don't you go tell Mom and Dad you're here, then go change into your pajamas and then you can tell me all about your little date with Lucas," Riley suggested as she ruffled her brother's hair.

"Sure!" Auggie smiled as he rushed inside, leaving Riley and Lucas at the door.

Riley and Lucas stared at each other in silence. Lucas should be heading home, since the only reason why he was there was to drop Auggie off. But he didn't want to. He had a _really_ good reason to stay a couple more minutes.

"Thank you for taking Auggie out," Riley said. "He really likes you."

"I know, he told me," Lucas replied. "He's adorable. Are you sure you're related?"

Riley scrunched her face and stuck out her tongue, earning a laugh from Lucas. Even when she made silly faces, she was still beautiful to him.

"So how was dinner at Maya's?" Lucas asked.

"It was good, Aunt Katy made mac n cheese and as always, Maya was disgusted with me when I squirted ketchup all over mine," Riley replied with a shrug. She thought that ketchup with mac n cheese was the greatest thing in the world and she never understood how anyone could disagree with her. "How was your date with Aug—wait, no, don't answer that. I'll get the details from him myself. How was basketball practice?"

"It was great as always," Lucas replied. "I'm excited for the game tomorrow."

"Why, because you're gonna win the game for me?" Riley's eyes twinkled. Lucas sighed contently. One of the items on Riley's list was to dedicate a game winning shot to her. And he had no doubt that he'd be able to do that tomorrow. He was one of the best players on the team.

"Maybe," Lucas chuckled. "You're not kidding around with that list."

"Of course not," Riley replied. "I know what I want."

"And that's me?" Lucas asked smugly.

Riley smiled softly and said, "Goodnight, Lucas."

Before Lucas could protest, Riley placed a kiss on his cheek before closing the door on him.

"Goodnight, Riley," he whispered to himself as he stared at the closed door. A smile appeared on his face and it stayed there until he got home. He hated that she was his weakness, because she could get him to do anything she wanted him to. And the list was proof of that.

* * *

 **2/10 of the tasks complete. Next update will be this weekend. Hope that's enough to hold you over! Let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter Five

**I'll be honest, as much as I love this idea, I wasn't sure what kind of response I was going to get from you guys. But so far you all seem to be enjoying it so I'm glad!**

* * *

Chapter Five

"I had so much fun, Riley!" Auggie said when Riley walked into his room. He was already laying in his bed under the covers, his new teddy bear sitting beside him. Riley sat down on Auggie's other side and smiled contently at how satisfied her brother was. She knew that Auggie and Lucas got along with each other, but it was refreshing for her to see that they genuinely liked each other, and not just for her sake. It was important to Riley that Lucas got along with all the important people in her life.

"Oh, did you?" Riley raised her eyebrows. "What did you guys do?"

"Lucas took me to the movies," Auggie began. "We watched that new James Bond movie! It was so cool. Then we went to an arcade and played games and had pizza. Oh, and I won this!" He held up the bear with a huge smile on his face.

"That looks a lot like Beary," Riley replied, staring at the stuffed bear in her brother's hands, feeling a hint of nostalgia.

"I know," Auggie nodded. "That's why I got it. For you." Auggie offered the bear to her.

"For me?" Riley repeated, a bit surprised. "You sure, Auggie? You won this, you should keep it."

"But I still feel bad for what I did," Auggie frowned.

"It's been years, Augs, it's okay," Riley assured him. Ever since Riley learned of Auggie's real motives to biting the face off her favorite teddy bear, she was sure to make time for Auggie whenever she could. However, she didn't like watching movies with him because all he wanted to watch were violent movies, which she thought wasn't a good influence on him.

"No, I want you to have it," Auggie insisted, placing the bear on Riley's lap. "Lucas gave me his tickets, so in a way this bear is from the both of us. I'm sure he'd be okay with me giving it to you."

"Lucas, of course," Riley contently sighed as she hugged the bear. She looked at Auggie, "Thanks, Augs."

"He's a good guy, Riley," Auggie smiled.

"I know," Riley ruffled his hair. "Now go to sleep, I'm sure you're tired after all the fun you had tonight." She placed a kiss on his forehead before exiting his room.

* * *

As Riley made her way to English class the next day, she spotted Lucas by his locker. Truthfully, there was a much quicker route from her locker to the classroom, but she always took the long way because it was an excuse to see a certain someone. Lucas caught on to Riley's little routine early on in the semester so he made sure to always be at his locker when she came around.

Riley quickly walked up to him when she spotted him at his locker, and while his back was facing her, she went up on her tiptoes and covered his eyes with her hands. She stifled an impending giggle.

"Hey, Ri," Lucas said.

"Shoot, how did you know it was me?" Riley frowned, dropping her arms to her side. Lucas turned around and smiled at her.

"I heard you laugh," Lucas pointed out.

"I need to get better at sneaking up on you," Riley sighed, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder.

"Yeah, you do," Lucas agreed with a light chuckle.

"Anyway, I don't think I said this last night but I just wanted to thank you for taking Auggie out," Riley said. "It meant a lot to him. He's always wanted a big brother and I can never be that for him."

"Of course you can't," Lucas said. "You're a girl."

Riley rolled her eyes, amused. She said, "Yeah, exactly."

"It's no big deal," Lucas shrugged. "If he ever wants to do that again tell him I'd love to."

Riley nudged him, "As long as you don't spend more time with him than me."

"Not possible," Lucas assured her. He closed his locker before turning to face her again.

"He gave me that bear he got with the tickets," Riley said.

"Oh, did he now?" Lucas raised his eyebrows.

Riley nodded, "He insisted. He said it was from the both of you."

"The minute I saw that bear I knew he was going to give it to you," Lucas replied.

"Thank you," Riley smiled softly, giving the boy a hug.

"By the way, do you mind giving me your math notes later? I'm going to have to skip last period to prepare for the game," Lucas said.

"I hate it when you skip math," Riley said unenthusiastically. Math was their last period of the day and the only class that only the two of them shared. As expected, they sat beside each other in that class.

"Me too," Lucas agreed. "I mean, who else is going to help you when you're stuck on a question?"

"Hey! I usually help _you_ ," Riley placed her hands on her hips.

"Relax," Lucas held his palms out in front of him with a slight smirk on his face. "I was just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Well, it worked," Riley huffed. She rolled her eyes. "But of course I'll give you my notes."

"Thank you," Lucas said. He nodded his head in the direction of their next class, "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

* * *

As the basketball team was preparing for their game against one of their biggest rivals in their district, Jefferson High, Zay noticed Lucas kept missing his free throws. It was unusual for Lucas to be missing so many free throws. Zay raised a brow as he approached his friend.

"Hey, you alright?" Zay asked with a concerned look on his face.

Lucas kept his gaze on the basket in front of him, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're missing like all of your shots," Zay replied flatly. "Dude, are you sure something's not bothering you? You've been in and out of it for the past couple of days."

Lucas threw the ball and grunted when he missed the basket. He turned to Zay tiredly, "Yeah, I'm just nervous for the game."

"Nervous? You? No," Zay shook his head. Lucas was never the one to be nervous for basketball games. He was always so upbeat and sometimes cocky, a trait that didn't bother Riley too much because she knew who the real Lucas Friar was.

"Yeah, hard to believe," Lucas nodded. He sighed, "Riley's gonna be in the stands watching us. Watching _me_. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of her."

"Of course, Riley," Zay said under his breath. He rolled his eyes when Lucas went to pick up a basketball that rolled by his feet.

"Excuse me?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at Zay. He passed the basketball aggressively at Zay. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Zay waved him off. Lucas was too out of it to argue with him so he left it alone. "But why? She's been to tons of our games before. You always do great. And I'm sure she's impressed. That girl's impressed with everything you do."

"But what if I don't live up to her standards?"

"Oh, please, you do know she knows you're not Mr. Perfect," Zay replied. "And she still likes you. You have nothing to worry about. Just focus on the game, not her, and you should be fine."

"Yeah, she knows about my past and she's not scared of me because of it," Lucas said.

"Because she understands you, Lucas," Zay groaned. He absolutely hated it when Lucas's mood changed because of a certain brunette, because Zay was the one he would vent to, and he didn't want to hear it. But of course, as a best friend, Zay still tried to be helpful even though he didn't want to be.

Lucas and Zay resumed their warm ups and the stands in the gym began to fill up. The final bell of the day rang and so everyone rushed to the gym to get a good seat for the game. It was a very anticipated game and no one wanted to miss it.

Once he got in his zone, Lucas sunk all of his shots. He was so focused that he didn't even realize that his friends were already out in the stands. He scanned the stands to find them and when his eyes landed on his supportive friends, they all waved enthusiastically back at him. Riley flashed her signature smile and gave him a thumbs up, to which Lucas returned a smile.

Maybe the reason why Lucas was so nervous was because the game was another task on Riley's list. She wanted to him to score the game winning shot for her, and the thought of him failing the task today would set him back on his desired timeline.

For the first half of the game, the team was doing really well. They were winning by ten points by halftime rolled around. As Zay and Lucas rested on the bench, they stared at the scoreboard.

"We're winning by ten," Zay said as he drank from his water bottle to rehydrate himself. He nudged Lucas, "You're doing great, man."

"Thanks," Lucas replied. If he was being honest he didn't think he was doing too well in the game. He had several fouls and he kept glancing at Riley for reassurance.

When the fourth quarter rolled around, the scores were very close and Lucas was starting to feel the pressure. In the last minute, they were down by two. The rest of the team had agreed to pass the ball to Lucas, as he was the most accurate when it came to three-point shots. Zay currently had the ball and ran to the other side of the court with everyone else following up. He stopped at the side of the basket on the three-point line and instead of throwing it towards the basket, he threw it to Lucas. As the buzzer went off, Lucas aimed for the basket. The ball was in the air for what felt like forever, the people in the stands got off their seats with their mouths open. When the ball finally touched the backboard, it bounced off it and hit the floor.

Abigail Adams lost by two points. Jefferson's team huddled around each other and cheered. Lucas caught his breath as he watched the opposing team celebrate. He couldn't believe he missed that shot. He was absolutely certain it was going to go in. He sat on the bench to sulk in his sadness, unbeknownst to Zay, who was approached by their friends.

"That was a really good game," Riley said when she approached Lucas at the bench. She offered him a smile, to which he responded by looking down at his feet. Riley titled her head.

"No, it wasn't," Lucas breathed.

"Lucas, cheer up!" Zay said as he walked towards Riley and Lucas with Farkle, Smackle, and Maya in tow.

"We lost, Zay," Lucas groaned. He didn't even want to say those words out loud.

"But that was the closest we've ever got to beating them," Zay pointed out. Lucas rolled his eyes. Zay sighed. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Why don't we all head over to your place for a movie night?"

"Yeah, I'd be down for that," Maya shrugged.

"I should be studying quantum physics," Smarkle sighed. Farkle squeezed her hand and nudged her softly. "Oh! Uh, I mean, yeah, sounds fun." Smarkle did enjoy hanging out with everyone, but she still really wanted her alone time with Farkle after recently getting back together.

"It's settled," Farkle announced.

"It's not like I have a choice," Lucas frowned. He was embarrassed that he missed that shot. The fact that he was supposed to dedicate that to Riley didn't help make him feel better. So he wasn't exactly up for a movie night, especially not at his place. He just wanted to be alone and sulk in his loss.

"Nope, you do not," Riley replied. She knew Lucas was never one to take losses so easily, so she didn't think too much of his behavior.

* * *

The six friends headed over to Lucas's house to have a movie night. It was a Friday night; they would've ended up doing something at one of their houses anyway. Besides, it had been a while since they had a movie night. And after a tough loss, it was something that would make everyone feel better.

As the group decided what movie they wanted to watch on Netflix, Lucas offered to prepare popcorn and some snacks for everyone so he went to the kitchen. He really needed some time alone anyway, he was still beating himself up over the loss. It wouldn't have been so bad if there was no list involved. He'd lost games before, even important ones, but not one as important as this.

"Lucas still seems bothered," Riley said, "I'm gonna go check up on him."

"Nah, I should," Zay said, waving for Riley to stay seated. "Guy stuff."

Riley rolled her eyes, "Sure." She really liked Zay. She just didn't like the fact that it always seemed like he wanted to keep them apart. It almost made her question what Zay really thought of her. But honestly, she figured he was still upset about the cookie mishap that happened a long time ago.

"Zay, I'm not in the mood right now," Lucas said when he felt Zay's presence follow him into the kitchen.

"Oh, come on, I'm your best friend, you can talk to me," Zay offered.

"I already told you what was wrong," Lucas groaned. "I'm embarrassed, okay? Riley saw the whole thing!"

"We all saw it," Zay said. He quickly retreated when he realized Lucas gave him a death stare. "I'm just saying."

"Still," Lucas sighed.

"Riley does embarrassing things in front of you all the time," Zay pointed out. "I heard she stuck her finger up your nose once. Can't get any more embarrassing than that."

"Just leave me alone, Zay," Lucas commanded.

"But it doesn't make sense," Zay replied, shaking his head. He leaned against the kitchen island with his arms folded across his chest as he watched Lucas place a bag of popcorn into the microwave. "You and Riley… why her, Lucas? Why are you so caught up on her? You can get with any other girl in the school, but yet you still want Riley."

The intention of Zay's words was enough to irritate Lucas into oblivion.

"What's your problem, Zay?" Lucas snapped, turning to face Zay. He clenched his jaw. "Ever since you moved here, you were never once supportive of me and her. Why is that?"

Zay blinked at him in awe. He hadn't expected Lucas to freak out like that, especially when Zay made subtle comments like that all the time. He didn't realize how much it bothered Lucas until now, and he felt kind of guilty. Zay didn't respond, he didn't know what to say.

"I thought you were my best friend?" Lucas stared at him with blank eyes. "Best friends are supportive of each other! Why can't you see that my feelings for Riley are genuine? And that Riley's a great person? If you can't be supportive of me then I don't think we're best friends at all, man."

"You're being ridiculous," Zay sighed. He didn't want to fight, but he deserved everything that Lucas was saying to him. It was true, he had never favored Lucas's feelings for Riley, but he had good reason.

"No, I'm not! I've had enough of you making snide comments about me and her, _especially_ her," Lucas continued. He could feel his blood boiling. He was so angry, and if he didn't leave now, he knew his anger issues would resurface. "She's the reason why I love New York so much, the reason why I survived here in the first place. You know I usually ignore your comments, but it's really getting out of hand. I know it's only going to get worse when me and her start dating. I just wish you could respect me when it came to her. She's really special to me, Zay."

"Lucas, I—"

"I don't want to talk to you," Lucas waved him off and stormed off to his room. He needed some time alone. It was very rare for him to explode on Zay like that. He was used to all of Zay's antics, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he got tired of Zay's comments about him and Riley. He felt bad for yelling at Zay, sure, but did he regret it? Not at all. It was about time someone put Zay in his place, even if it had to be his best friend that did so.

The microwave went off indicating that the popcorn was ready, and Zay sighed. He hated it when Lucas was mad at him. When was Zay going to learn that his big mouth gets him in trouble? It always has and always will until he learned how to control what he said and took other people's feelings into account. He realized his comments had actually really bothered Lucas, otherwise he wouldn't have lashed out at him the way that he did.

Zay brought back the popcorn to his friends waiting in the living room. All eyes were on him. They had seen Lucas lash out at Zay, as the kitchen was visible from the living room, but they didn't know what had been said.

Riley stared at him with disapproving eyes, to which Zay took notice. He shrugged at her. She shook her head, evidently annoyed and got up. She brushed past him to look for Lucas. Since it was his place, she figured he was in his room, and she was right.

Riley knocked on the door and when she didn't get a response, she opened the door and entered the room anyway.

"Lucas?" Riley said. Lucas was sitting on the floor leaning against the foot of his bed. His knees were bent in front of him as his elbows rested on them. He had his hands folded together and rested his chin on them.

Riley sighed at the sight of him looking so troubled. She sat on the floor next to him and spread her legs out in front of her. She offered, "Hey, you okay? You and Zay looked like you got into some kind of argument."

"Yeah, it was nothing," Lucas sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Riley rested her head on his shoulder.

"Didn't seem like nothing," Riley commented.

"Well, it was," Lucas replied.

"You know you can tell me anything," Riley reminded him. "Come on. Tell me."

"Zay has a big mouth," Lucas said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Riley joked.

"It was about you," Lucas admitted.

"What did I do?"

"It's not about what you did. It was about how Zay felt about us," Lucas said. "He was making some comments about you and it irritated me and I just couldn't handle it anymore."

"He was bound to piss you off sooner or later," Riley shrugged. "He pissed me off a long time ago. I just can't voice my opinion otherwise he'll bring up the time I ate his grandmother's cookie."

"He pushed me to my breaking point," Lucas deadpanned. "I didn't think it was possible. Should've heard the things he said about you, Ri."

"I'd rather not," Riley said. She's had enough of Zay's comments, and she'd rather not know what he said about her behind her back. The two sat in silence for a little while until Riley spoke up again, "That was a good game you played."

"Didn't win though," Lucas sighed.

"So?"

"One of the things on the list. You wanted me to win for you."

"That's why you're still upset?" Riley lifted her head up from his shoulder and turned to look at him.

"Kinda," Lucas admitted sheepishly.

"You know I wouldn't have put it on the list if I didn't think you could do it," Riley lifted his chin up with her finger, forcing green eyes to meet brown. "Don't get discouraged. You have another game coming up."

"Yeah, I do," Lucas said.

"I told you I could wait," Riley reminded him.

"Isn't it tiring?" Lucas said softly.

"It is," Riley shrugged. A smile crept onto her face. "But I know you'll make it worth it."

"But I really thought I could do it in a couple of days," Lucas frowned.

"I made the list," Riley said. "I knew it wasn't going to get done in a couple of days, Luke."

"You're not making this easy for me, Ri," Lucas offered her a small smile.

"Of course not!" Riley playfully hit him in the chest. "But if it makes you feel better, you still completed a task today."

"Oh yeah? And what was that?" Lucas titled his head.

"You stood up to Zay about your feelings for me," Riley said.

Lucas completely forgot about that one. But even if it wasn't on the list, it was just a matter of time that Lucas would've confronted Zay about it anyway.


	6. Chapter Six

**On the show, Zay's stance on Rucas was very ambiguous, which I think is the reason why not everyone saw that Zay seemed unsupportive of Rucas at times. Like I don't think the writers themselves knew whether or not Zay shipped Rucas. But the first half of this chapter is basically my headcanon of why Zay doesn't like Lucas having feelings for Riley.**

* * *

Chapter Six

Lucas started to feel better about the loss after having talked to Riley. She was the one thing that could make anything better. She brightened up his darkest of days and added even more shine to his already happy days. The two continued to talk, laughing and joking with each other. They enjoyed moments like those, when their friends weren't around to interrupt or react to their interactions with disgust.

Zay knocked on the door and entered the room, resulting in the two teenagers on the floor to stop laughing abruptly and shift their gaze to him. He had an apologetic look on his face and his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans. He said, "Riley, do you mind if Lucas and I have a moment?"

Riley looked at Lucas, who slowly nodded. She could tell he didn't really want to talk to Zay, but she didn't want them to drag out this little argument. She sighed and got up from her position on the floor. As she walked out of the room past Zay, she couldn't help but shoot him the dirtiest look she'd ever given anyone. It was out of character for the brunette, but Zay understood that Lucas told her what happened. He made a mental note to deal with her another time. He was certain she wouldn't want to talk to him at the moment anyway, not when the usually smiley brunette wasn't so smiley.

Lucas stretched out his legs and wiped his hands on his pants, trying to keep himself occupied. Zay sat on the floor cross-legged beside Lucas and sighed. He wasn't sure where to start. He owed Lucas an explanation to why it seemed like he was so against Riley after all these years.

"What do you want, Zay?" Lucas finally asked, annoyance dripping in his voice. As much as he didn't want to have the movie night, he'd much rather be in the living room with everyone else than to be having this conversation with Zay.

"I'm here to apologize," Zay admitted with a deep sigh. "I owe you an explanation."

"And what if I don't want to hear it?" Lucas countered.

"Then that would suck," Zay lowered his head. "But I'd understand if you didn't. I wouldn't listen to me either."

"She was there for me when you weren't, Zay," Lucas reminded him. Before Zay moved to New York about a year after Lucas did, the two didn't really keep in touch. At the time, Lucas resented Zay for being the reason why he got into the fight that resulted in his expulsion, causing his parents to pack up and leave for New York City when an opportunity presented itself. And Zay didn't exactly come forward when asked if he knew anything about that fight.

"I know, and she still is, I'm assuming," Zay said. He thought about the moment Lucas was having with Riley before he walked in. When Lucas stormed out of the kitchen, he was really pissed. After having a conversation with Riley, he seemed completely calm. _Huh, Riley must really have an effect on him_ , Zay thought.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "She's amazing."

"I bet she is," Zay said genuinely. Unfortunately, Lucas thought he was being sarcastic. It didn't sit well with him.

"There you go again, making those comments!" Lucas snapped. " _Why_?"

"So you're going to listen to me?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Sure," Lucas shrugged, pursing his lips. "But I can stop listening whenever I feel like what you're saying is irrelevant."

Zay took a deep breath, quickly organizing the thoughts in his head. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, especially when Lucas wasn't too happy with him. He didn't want to make things worse. He began, "First of all, let me get this straight. I don't hate Riley." He shook his head, "I really don't. She's a huge ray of sunshine, how could anybody truly hate that? But if I'm being honest, I'm still a little upset about the whole cookie incident, but she made up for that so I'm fine with her."

"That's surprising news," Lucas said. With all the rude and misleading comments, Lucas had come to a conclusion a long time ago that Zay never really liked Riley.

"Yep," Zay nodded. "But ever since I moved here you and Riley were already in this unofficial relationship. And as close as you were to Farkle and Maya, I realized it was Riley who you were the closest to. And I got jealous."

Lucas looked at him with a sudden realization. Zay was quick to realize what Lucas assumed. Zay scrunched his face and quickly defended himself, "No, not like that, man! I'm jealous of how close you two have gotten. Ever since I got here you were so hung up on her. You guys were like the bestest friends ever, and still are. Much like we were in Texas.

"When I really got to know Riley I came to a realization. I realized that she's perfect for you, Luke. She has this calming effect on you, and I feel like she makes you a better person. You seem a lot happier when she's around. Your mood noticeably shifts when she's not. I know you think I'm so opposed to you and Riley. But I'm not. My comments are just me afraid of losing my best friend, of getting replaced."

Lucas looked at him with empathic eyes. He had no idea he felt that way. As soon as Zay and Lucas had resolved their issues when Zay first came to the city, they quickly fell back into their friendship that they'd always known. Never for a second did Lucas think that Zay felt insecure about his new relationships. Lucas was about to reply, but Zay beat him to it.

"Do you remember that one Christmas you went to Texas without telling anyone except me?" Zay asked.

"Yeah, I do," Lucas said. Of course Lucas remembered. His parents had informed him _very_ last minute that they were all going to Texas for the holidays. Lucas honestly had no time to tell the others. Zay only knew because he was there when the news broke. Lucas figured that Riley would be upset even if he did tell her, so he decided he would just make it up to her as soon as he got back. It didn't go so well.

"I told her that you didn't tell her you were leaving because you didn't want to participate in Secret Santa," Zay said. "I knew she was upset but I didn't realize how _pissed_ she was."

"We got into a fight when I got back, Zay," Lucas deadpanned. As elaborate as Lucas's surprise was, Riley wasn't amused. She still didn't appreciate the fact that he suddenly disappeared, and had taken Zay's words to heart.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Zay sighed. He looked down at his hands as he fiddled with them. "That was awful of me."

"Why did you say that to her?" Lucas asked desperately. That was their first fight since the first day of freshman year. And he hated it when they fought, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, all he could do was think about her and wondered if they were ever going to fix things. "You know I love Secret Santa. The trip was so last minute I figured that I'd just not tell her and make it up to her later. I got her a gift either way. But did that matter to her? Nope. We got into a fight the minute I went to the bay window literally right after I landed back in New York."

"Honestly…" Zay's voice trailed off. He took a defeated sigh before continuing, "I said it because I knew you'd end up fighting. I wanted you two to fight. I wanted Riley to be so mad at you that she would never talk to you again. And maybe then I could've gotten my best friend back." He knew what he did was wrong, but he couldn't help but resent Riley for taking his place in Lucas's life.

"And how'd that work for ya?" Lucas scoffed.

"You guys made up after a couple of days," Zay said flatly.

"I know. I was persistent," Lucas replied. "When I finally explained to her my side of the story, she got really mad at you instead of me."

"She has every right to be," Zay said. "I don't blame her."

"You know she cares about your opinion about her," Lucas said.

"She does?"

Lucas nodded.

"Why?"

"You should talk to her about it," Lucas shrugged.

"I will," Zay promised. He looked around the room, trying to occupy himself. He looked at Lucas. "I'm sorry for all the stupid comments I've made. I never actually meant any of it. I guess saying those things was just easier than telling you the truth. It never occurred to me that either of you would be bothered by it. I'm sorry."

Lucas sighed, "It's okay, Zay. I understand. But you also need to understand that no girl could ever get between the friendship we have. Not even Riley."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Lucas confirmed with a warm smile. "It's just like how Riley's never going to let me get in between her and Maya."

"That makes sense," Zay commented. He held out his fist in front of Lucas. "So are we good?"

Lucas looked at Zay's fist and softly chuckled before bumping Zay's fist with his. "We're good. Just promise me you're never going to make those comments again."

"I promise," Zay said. He put a hand over his heart. "I'll be more genuinely supportive from now on."

"Good," Lucas smiled. "Because I have a feeling that Riley's going to be my girlfriend fairly soon."

Zay's face lit up, "Oh, you're finally asking Little Miss Sunshine to be your girlfriend? Do tell."

"Nope," Lucas said, popping the 'p.' "You'll find out soon enough."

"Just be sure to make time for lil' old Zay once you're officially Mr. Riley Matthews," Zay said.

"Of course," Lucas chuckled.

When Lucas and Zay returned to the living room to reunite with the rest of their friends, Riley raised her eyebrow at the two who seemingly got along better than they had during their encounter in the kitchen. Lucas nodded at Riley, confirming to her that they had talked things out. Riley smiled and patted the space beside her on the couch, inviting Lucas to sit there.

"You two make up?" Farkle asked. The boys nodded. "Good."

Lucas sat beside Riley, while Zay went to sit on the floor beside Maya. Maya had most of the popcorn, and with the rest of them basically coupled off, he figured he would sit with her.

"Alright, on with the movie!" Smackle announced, pointing the remote to the TV to press play.

* * *

"Come on, Riley, please?!" Maya was practically on her knees in the middle of Topanga's. She had an art show that opened Monday night, which was the following day. She completely forgot. She needed to get her paintings down to the gallery and get everything set up. Unfortunately for her, Riley was working a shift at the bakery.

"Maya, I can't," Riley said, grabbing Maya's arm to bring her up to her feet. "My mom really needs me to work today. And remember the last time I didn't show up when she needed me? I don't want that ever happening again so I'm going to stay here. Look, Maya, it's your fault that you forgot about it. You've had plenty of time to get things done. And I would've been more than happy to help. But I can't now."

"Your mom's not even here right now!" Maya pointed out, looking around the bakery.

"Your mom is, though," Riley said, nodding her head in the direction of Katy. "I'm sure she'll notice if I'm gone."

"It's my mom, I can get her to let you come help me," Maya replied.

Katy overheard the conversation as she passed by the two and said, "Riley's staying here!"

Riley smirked at Maya. She shrugged, "I'm sorry, Peaches. My hands are tied. You'll have to find someone else to help you out."

"Ooh!" Maya's eyes lit up when she saw Riley's uncle Josh from across the room. Whenever the bakery was expected to be busy, Topanga not only enlisted the help of Riley, but also her brother-in-law. Plus, as a college student, he was never opposed to receiving a little extra cash. "Maybe Boing can help me!"

Josh heard Maya's infamous nickname for him and turned his head to look at the blonde. She had a flirty smile on her face and dreamily waved at him. He shook his head and smiled back before serving the table he was at.

"Uncle Josh can't leave either, Maya," Riley said. Riley had always disregarded Maya's little crush on Josh. As much as she loved Maya and supported her, she never liked reminding the blonde that Josh may not reciprocate the feelings she had for him.

"Fine," Maya huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brows.

"I'll see you later, Peaches," Riley patted Maya on the shoulder before disappearing behind the counter.

Maya sighed and sluggishly went to take a seat at the nearest booth. Lucas had just walked in and witnessed the latter half of the little banter between the two and decided to see what was up. He slid into the booth and greeted the blonde.

"What's this I hear about Riley not being able to help you?" Lucas asked.

Maya looked up to see the Texan sitting in front of her. She sighed, "Hi, Ranger Rick. Riley's busy right now. If she doesn't have time to help me she definitely won't have time to hang out with you."

"Truthfully, I just came here to watch her work," Lucas admitted sheepishly. He silently hoped that she wasn't going tell Riley that. That would be embarrassing.

"And I thought Charlie was a creep," Maya joked.

"He is!" Lucas countered. "He stalked her for a good couple of months, okay?"

"Mhm, and you were jealous," Maya pointed out.

Lucas rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

"Fine."

"So what's this thing Riley can't help you with?" Lucas asked.

"My art show opens tomorrow night and I have no idea why but I completely forgot about it," Maya groaned. "I needed help to bring my paintings over there and set things up."

Lucas titled his head, then remembered something. Helping Maya with her art show was another task on Riley's list. Lucas nodded to himself then offered, "Why don't I help you out?"

"Really, Huckleberry? You?" Maya scoffed.

"Yeah, why not?" Lucas shrugged.

Maya narrowed her eyes at him. He was never one to really approach her, so she thought it was a bit suspicious. Nonetheless, she was desperate and needed all the help she could get.

Before Maya could give Lucas an answer, Riley approached the two and smiled dreamily at Lucas's presence.

"Hi," Riley greeted, staring at Lucas.

"Hey," Lucas sighed with a smile.

Riley giggled and repeated, "Hi."

"Yuck," Maya scrunched her face in disgust.

Riley and Lucas both turned to Maya with apologetic looks and said in unison, "Sorry."

"That's fine," Maya waved them off. "Gotta get used to it sometime right? Especially when you two finally start dating." She smirked at Riley discretely. "So I got Huckleberry here to help me out. Not sure why he offered but I'm not going to question it."

Riley gave Lucas a knowing look, to which he returned a smile and a small shrug.

* * *

 **So what did you guys think about Zay and Lucas's conversation? Let me know!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Some Lucaya friendship and a really adorable Rucas moment. As always, reviews are very much appreciated. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Lucas didn't hate art, but he didn't love it either. He was a fan of Maya's artwork, but he wasn't a fan of boring art shows. Nonetheless, he was doing this for Riley. He somehow convinced Maya to let him help her out with the setup and the transportation of her paintings, and she was a bit skeptical of his motives.

Maya and Lucas rushed over to Lucas's home so he could borrow his parents' car. Then they went over to Maya's apartment to pack up all the paintings she was going to bring to the gallery. Once they arrived at the gallery, Maya instructed Lucas where to put everything. She was very observant of how Lucas was carrying her pieces, scolding him multiple times not to ruin anything.

"Maya, would I purposely try to sabotage you?" Lucas asked, resting a painting on the floor and leaning it against the wall. She had gotten annoyed at how untrusting she was when it came to someone else handling her paintings. Lucas was sure that if Riley was the one helping out, Maya wouldn't say a word.

Maya crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes at him, "No, but you could ruin it by accident!"

"Um, if I ever did try to do anything bad to you, Riley would most likely be on my ass about it," Lucas pointed out. Although Lucas knew he was one of Riley's priorities, it was still obvious that Maya was her top one. "And I'd rather not have her be mad at me, thanks."

"Good point," Maya nodded.

The two hung the paintings and decorated the place a little with the help of the gallery owners. They only had a couple of paintings left to hang when they decided to take a small break. Maya had bought them sandwiches at a nearby deli place and ate them at a makeshift table back at the gallery.

"Thanks for the sandwich, Maya," Lucas said as he took a bite out of his BLT.

"No problem, Ranger Rick," Maya replied. "I know I don't say this often but thank you. I really appreciate you helping me out. Can't believe Riley couldn't help."

"We both know Riley would've helped if she could," Lucas pointed out. "She was just held up at the bakery, you know that. It's not her fault."

Maya shook her head, "Nope, it's not. It's mine."

"Why is it your fault?" Lucas asked with a confused look on her face.

"Because I had so much time to get shit done yet I procrastinated like always," Maya shrugged. She took a look around the gallery. "Looks good though, don't you think?"

"Looks great," Lucas confirmed, also looking around the room. "Glad I could help."

"Thank you again. Kind of out of character for you, but I'm still thankful, Huckleberry," Maya said with a small smile. A sudden wave of realization hit her. "Oh! I get it. This is the thing on Riley's list that involves me."

"What?"

"You know, that list you have to complete," Maya said excitedly. "This is one of them, isn't it? I should've known. She _always_ helps me out. I bet she planned to work at the bakery today, when she knew I would need help. And she knew you'd be there to offer. It makes sense now."

"You know about the list?" Lucas finally asked after Maya's small rant.

"Of course, I do. I'm her best friend," Maya laughed. "Granted, she told me after you guys had an agreement, but still."

"So not fair."

"It is fair," Maya nodded. She explained, "She only told me about the list. She never told me what was on it. And since you're this far into the task, I can't even influence you or sabotage you or anything. Huh. I'm surprised it took me this long to figure out. If I had known, I would've made your job a lot harder for you."

"And that's why Riley didn't want you to know," Lucas groaned.

"Doesn't matter," Maya waved him off. "I wonder why she wanted you to help me."

"It's Riley. She wants everyone to get along," Lucas shrugged.

"We get along, don't we, Huckleberry?" Maya replied.

"Not always," Lucas scoffed. "Sometimes I feel like you don't think I'm good enough for Riley."

"No one's good enough for Riley," Maya responded honestly. Lucas rolled his eyes. "But I gotta say you come pretty close. I know I give you a hard time most of the time but it's all for good reason. I just gotta make sure your intentions are genuine."

"Of course they are," Lucas mumbled.

"I know that now," Maya replied. "It's been three years. I don't think a guy with real intentions would stick around for that long."

"She's special to me, Maya," Lucas said.

"And you're special to her."

* * *

After school on Monday, Maya and Lucas had left early to get to the gallery. Maya had to talk to the gallery owners about some last minute touches, and Lucas was helping out with bringing some finger foods for guests to snack on. The two had brought a change of clothes appropriate for the evening's events.

The official opening started at six, but the doors opened at five. And as expected, Riley, Zay, Farkle, and Smackle were among the first to arrive. Of course, Lucas's gaze immediately landed on a dressed up Riley. She wore a baby blue off shoulder dress that stopped right above her knees. And the silver heels she had on added a bit of height and accentuated her already perfectly long legs.

"You look, wow," Lucas stated when he walked up to her to greet her.

Riley's cheeks flushed a light shade of red, her lips curving to form a smile. She rubbed his forearm and linked arms with him. They reunited with the rest of their friends and looked around as they waited for the official opening.

After Maya's speech during the opening ceremony, everyone in attendance walked through the gallery to admire the young artist's work. Maya was talking to a bunch of older people who seemed to be interested in her work, leaving the others to wander off together.

As Farkle, Smackle, and Zay walked in front of them, Riley grabbed Lucas's arm and lessened their pace. Before Lucas could ask why she was walking so slow, she led him to the other side of the gallery and stopped in front of a painting she wanted to show him. She tilted her head to the side and asked, "What do you think about this painting?"

"It's a subway cart," Lucas stated. The painting was of Bleeker station. A subway car was pulled in to the station and there were passengers boarding it.

"Yeah," Riley said with a nod. "Notice anything particular about it though?"

Lucas pursed his lips and leaned forward to take a better look at the painting. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the perfectly painted canvas. After a couple of seconds, he shrugged when he didn't see anything striking to him.

"Are you sure about that?" Riley pressed, raising a brow.

"Yeah," Lucas scratched the back of his head. He was never really too good at analyzing paintings. He just enjoyed how aesthetically pleasing they were.

"This is my favorite painting of Maya's," Riley stated. She smiled at him when she realized he still didn't understood. "You wanna know why?"

"Of course," Lucas encouraged.

"You see that?" Riley pointed to the window of the subway cart. In it, there was a boy sitting in the corner with a girl on his lap. Lucas groaned, mentally smacking himself for missing that little detail. "It's me and you."

After Lucas got over how oblivious he had been, he smiled. "How do you know for sure that's us?"

"Look at them! Dirty blonde hair and a brunette," Riley pointed out. "The girl falling into his lap. There's no way that's not us. Plus, Maya told me herself. She made it for me, actually."

"Did she?"

"Yeah, one day when she finished it she came over with it," Riley replied. "Said it was a gift for being such a great friend to her over the years. She wanted it at her exhibit though so she's giving it for me to keep when this show is done. Had no idea we were in the painting until she told me."

"That's cute," Lucas gushed.

"She supports us, you know," Riley said, holding her hands behind her back and rocking on the balls of her feet.

"Does she really?"

"Mhm," Riley nodded.

"I can't believe you told her about the list," Lucas said. "I thought this stayed between you and me?"

"She's Peaches," Riley smiled, looking in Maya's direction. "I couldn't keep it from her. Didn't tell her about the tasks, though."

"Yeah, she told me," Lucas confirmed. "Otherwise she would've made it a lot harder for me. I mean, it already kinda was. The girl's serious about her art. She thought I was going to drop a painting or bang it in a corner or something."

"Glad you two are enjoying yourselves," Maya said as she approached the two, offering them some pop which they gladly took from her. She turned to Lucas, "Thanks again for helping me out. Mind helping with the clean up when the show's over in a month?"

Lucas shook his head, "Not part of the list."

Maya gave Riley a quick puppy dog-eyed look, which Riley gushed over. Riley then gave Lucas a stern look. He sighed, "Fine. Anything for my girl's best friend."

"Your girl, huh?" Maya smirked, nudging Riley. Riley rolled her eyes with a half-annoyed smile on her face.

"Not yet," Riley stuck her tongue out.

* * *

The six friends met up at the bakery the following afternoon. They were all immersed in their homework, except for Lucas, who couldn't help but notice how busy the place was for a Tuesday. He decided that it was time to move on to another task on Riley's list. So he excused himself from the group and approached Topanga, who was standing at the counter.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Matthews?" Lucas said, getting Topanga's attention.

"Hi, Lucas," Topanga smiled when she saw him at the counter. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, I'm still kind of full from the sandwiches we ordered earlier," Lucas replied. "Um, Riley was telling me that you guys might need some help around here?"

"Oh, yes," Topanga nodded. "There's actually a small event taking place here tomorrow night. NYU's student union is holding a trivia night. We're kind of short staffed as one of our servers got into an accident last week and I haven't gotten around to getting a temporary replacement. Would you be available tomorrow night?"

Lucas thought about it first, trying to remember if he had basketball practice or not. Nope, he didn't. He confirmed, "Yes, I'll be here."

"Perfect!" Topanga clapped her hands together. "Your shift will be from four to nine. And you'll be getting paid by the hour."

"No need, Mrs. Matthews," Lucas shook his head. He didn't really mind working for free. It was for a good cause, and he liked Riley's family. He just wanted to help out, especially since it helped him towards his favor. "You don't have to pay me, I just wanna help."

"Are you sure?" Topanga persisted.

"Positive, Mrs. Matthews," Lucas nodded.

"Alright then," Topanga smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, you will," Lucas confirmed. He headed back to his friends and was greeted by a curious look from none other than Riley. She had watched the whole exchange the moment she noticed Lucas get up.

"Why were you talking to my mom?" Riley asked when Lucas returned to his seat beside her.

"I have a shift here tomorrow," Lucas replied sheepishly.

* * *

Lucas went to Topanga's straight after school that Wednesday. He didn't want to be late, so he made sure to get there earlier than he needed to be. He sat at an unoccupied booth as he waited to start his shift. He was on his phone when he was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Friar, what can I get for you?" Josh asked, holding up a notepad and pen.

"Oh, hi Josh," Lucas greeted uneasily. Lucas wasn't on the greatest of terms with Riley's uncle. He felt very uncomfortable around him. He knew that it had something to do with him having feelings for Josh's niece. Lucas understood that Josh was just being protective of Riley, but he still felt intimidated by him. Josh, on the other hand, loved to get under Lucas's skin. He never confirmed whether or not he liked Lucas, not even Riley knew. "I'm actually waiting to start my shift."

"Oh!" Josh's face lit up. "You're working tonight?"

"Mhm," Lucas nodded. "Mrs. Matthews needed an extra server so I offered to help out. Didn't realize you were working too."

"Well, the only way the student union would be able to rent the place was for me to work tonight," Josh replied. "That was the agreement me and Topanga made. I work tonight, the student union gets to hold their event for free."

"Oh, cool," Lucas bobbed his head. He wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Josh noticed how tense Lucas was and smiled mischievously. Oh, he was going to have fun with him. He said, "Alright, I'll see you back there when you start. Topanga's here but I'll be your supervisor for the night."

"Sounds good," Lucas replied.

Josh mock saluted the emerald-eyed boy before walking over to another table to take their order. As soon as Josh was out of earshot, Lucas released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Josh was going to be his supervisor? Boy, was he going to have a _long_ night.

* * *

 **Someone asked whether or not Josh had feelings for Maya in this fic. You'll find out soon. Also, Zay and Riley talk in an upcoming chapter. Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**First of all, I know nothing about baseball. Also, sorry for any mistakes, I really wanted to get this chapter up. I've been feeling too lazy to write lately but I'm slowly getting over this slump and so I'm feeling really inspired to write! I have school off this week so hopefully I can update often for you guys.**

* * *

Chapter Eight

Working with Josh wasn't as bad as Lucas thought. Josh would give him some backlash here and there, but it wasn't anything Lucas couldn't handle. Even with all the full tables, Josh had purposely made time to crawl under Lucas's skin. Josh liked to see Lucas squirm, it was what he was going to have to deal with if he wanted to date Riley.

However, Lucas was thankful that Topanga was there. Whenever he had questions regarding the job and his tasks, he'd go straight to her instead of his supervisor, Josh. Lucas felt more comfortable asking Topanga instead. Besides, it helped that she liked him. Topanga was totally on board for whenever Riley and Lucas decided to date. She thought Lucas was perfect for Riley, and who was she to stop them from being together?

"Lucas, could you come here for a sec?" Topanga waved to Lucas. She had been watching him work the moment she stepped out of the back office. The bakery was getting swarmed and she figured she'd help out and do paperwork later.

Lucas quickly rushed to Topanga and smiled, "Yes, Mrs. Matthews?"

"Since you don't want money to compensate for your time, which I really do insist," Topanga began, "what about you come over to the apartment tomorrow night for dinner instead?"

"Sure, that'd be great," Lucas nodded with a smile. "I have basketball practice but I'll be over right after."

"Perfect," Topanga clapped her hands together with a cheery smile. She really did insist on paying the boy, but she figured if he kept refusing, she might as well offer him something else instead that she knew he wouldn't refuse.

"Thank you," Lucas said. He had been to Matthews' family dinner before, but along with the rest of the gang. He wasn't exactly sure how the dinner was going to play out, considering Cory's obvious distaste for him. But he was excited nonetheless. It was his chance to further impress Riley's family.

"No, Lucas, thank _you_ ," Topanga said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know Josh is giving you a bit of a hard time but you're doing a great job. Thanks for doing this."

"Happy to help," Lucas replied before returning to his duties. He had finished clearing a table when Riley approached him with three people he'd never seen before. She tapped his shoulder, evidently startling him. He hadn't expected to see her tonight, in fact, he hoped she wouldn't be there. He didn't need a distraction as he worked.

"Hi!" Riley grinned.

"God, Riley!" Lucas put a hand to his chest, recovering from the initial state of shock. He took a deep breath, "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home."

"Well, I was…" Riley's voice trailed off. "But Uncle Josh's friends wanted me to take his spot on their team for trivia night. He's working tonight so he had to back out." She shrugged, "Also, I think it'd be fun to watch you bus tables."

"I haven't tripped or spilled anything yet, so I think I'm doing a pretty bang up job," Lucas said proudly, disregarding some inconveniences he had come across because of Josh. "But, the night is still young. So yeah, it should be fun for you."

The two girls and the boy behind Riley simultaneously fake coughed, successfully getting Riley's attention. Riley quickly shook her head and gestured towards them. "Oh, how rude of me. These are Uncle Josh's friends, Jasmine, Charlotte, and Andrew." She turned to her uncle's friends, "And that's Lucas."

"Hi, you must be Riley's boyfriend," the girl who Riley pointed out was Jasmine held out her hand towards Lucas.

"Oh, no, Jasmine, he's not my boyfriend…" Riley waved her off. She could feel her cheeks turning a light shade of red. She hoped Lucas didn't notice.

"Your reaction says otherwise," Jasmine smirked.

"It's… complicated," Lucas offered with a shrug.

Jasmine exchanged looks with Charlotte, and the two both proceeded to take turns studying Riley and Lucas's expressions. It was obvious that these two teenagers had a thing for each other.

"I believe that," Andrew chimed in, patting Lucas on the shoulder. He then gestured to the booth they were standing in front of. "Is this table available?"

"Oh, yes, I just finished clearing it," Lucas said, gesturing to the vacant booth. "I'll get your team papers in just a second."

"He's cute," Charlotte whispered and nudged Riley before sliding into the booth with the other two. Riley rolled her eyes and shifted her attention back to Lucas.

"Sorry about them," Riley said as she twirled her hair with her hand. "They like to tease me. Uncle Josh says I'm like their little sister."

"Cute," Lucas commented. He leaned in closer to her, "By the way. Your Uncle Josh scares me."

"Tell me something I don't know," Riley laughed. "Giving you a hard time?"

"Honestly, yeah," Lucas replied, releasing a sigh.

"If it makes any difference, I didn't know he was working tonight," Riley said. "So him giving you a hard time wasn't part of the list. So that's just Uncle Josh being Josh."

"Why does he hate me so much?" Lucas asked, leaning in closer to Riley, afraid that Josh would somehow hear him in the moderately loud bakery.

"I don't think he hates you," Riley replied, shaking her head. It was never confirmed whether or not Josh approved of Lucas, but Riley liked to be hopeful. And she didn't want to talk to him about it either, afraid that he'd relay whatever information she gave to him, to Cory. The last thing Riley needed was to have her father involved in her love life. "Besides, I do believe there's something involving Uncle Josh on that list."

Lucas mentally went through the list until he got to the task she was talking about. He bobbed his head and pursed his lips, "Yup, there is."

Riley knew Lucas was a bit intimidated by Josh since the first time they met. It was funny to her because he wasn't scared of her father, but he was afraid of a boy only two years older than him that had a slightly thinner build. Lucas didn't mind the intimidation _too_ much, since he rarely saw Josh anyway. But whenever they did see each other, Josh would always remind him why their meetings were very rare. Lucas _hated_ the fact that he couldn't get along with him, he got along with everyone in Riley's family that he'd met so far. Except for Josh. Even Lucas and Cory got along somewhat okay.

"Lucas!" Josh walked up to the two and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "What are you just standing around here for? There are tables that need serving!" He turned to Riley, "Hey, niece. Thanks for filling in."

"Anytime, Uncle Josh," Riley smiled. "But if we win you're not getting the trophy because you didn't play."

"Fair enough," Josh nodded. He turned back to Lucas, "Get to work, Friar!"

"Yes, Sir," Lucas replied uneasily. He mock-saluted Josh before rushing to the kitchen to get the orders.

When Lucas was out of view, Riley couldn't help but to burst out laughing at Lucas's behavior. She couldn't believe that was the result of Josh's tactics. Once she caught her breath, she told her uncle, "Please go easy on him. The boy's terrified of you."

"I know he is," Josh nodded with a chuckle. "And I intend on keeping it that way. He needs to be scared of someone in our family. And since Cory isn't exactly the scariest person ever, I volunteered to do it."

"Dad wants you to scare Lucas," Riley muttered. "Huh. That's why you do it?"

"Well, it's not the only reason," Josh pointed out. He playfully punched Riley's shoulder. "I care about you, kiddo. I don't want you getting hurt. I know how guys can be."

"I appreciate it, Uncle Josh," Riley said genuinely, "but I can handle myself."

"I know you can," Josh replied. "But just in case."

"Of course," Riley nodded. She understood why Josh was so protective of her. No matter how nice of a guy Lucas was, there was always that possibility that something bad could happen. She placed her hands on both of Josh's shoulders and lightly shook him. "But please," she begged, looking at Josh dead in the eyes, "don't be so hard on him."

"I don't make any promises," Josh smirked. "Now go sit, the first round is starting soon."

* * *

The task that Riley was talking about earlier was the one where Lucas was supposed to get Josh's approval. Lucas kept this in mind as he waited tables. He had several more interactions with Josh here and there, but there was a slight difference than the ones he had earlier. Josh would use a friendlier tone with him, even though he would still be demanding and bossy. Lucas figured that Riley must have mentioned something about his fear of Josh to him.

Once the bakery closed for the night, Topanga headed to the back to balance the checks and count the money. Josh asked Lucas to stay and help clean up, although it was over his hours. But it wasn't like Lucas could say no anyway, he was still scared of the boy. As the two cleaned the bakery, it was surprising to Lucas that Josh had dropped the whole 'I'm an authoritative supervisor' act and had somewhat become civil with him. They managed to have a decent conversation about sports, something most boys had in common.

When they ended with the topic of baseball, Lucas had decided that Josh wasn't such a bad guy. He knew he had his reasons for treating Lucas badly, and that he shouldn't take it personally. And although that conversation they had was a pretty good one, Lucas figured it was going to take more than that to earn Josh's approval. He was going to have to spend more time with Riley's young uncle, whether he liked it or not.

"Thanks for sticking around and helping me clean," Josh said as he sat the table closest to the counter. He had just finished wiping down the tables, and Lucas was almost done mopping the floors.

"Well, uh, you kinda made me," Lucas replied, unsure of the response he was going to get from Josh.

"Still," was all Josh could say. "You know, you're not so bad, Friar. You like the Mets _and_ the Phillies, which is good in my books."

"Yeah, the Rangers aren't so great," Lucas shrugged as he mopped around the counter. "Love Texas, _hate_ the baseball team."

"Honestly, the only downside to you is that you like the Mavs," Josh said. He turned to look at him, "You do know Riley hates every basketball team that aren't the Knicks."

"I know," Lucas nodded. His mind wandered back to the first unofficial date they had, where Riley had gone on a long-winded rant about representing the Knicks. He liked to think of it as the day that the universe confirmed that Riley was the one for him. "We don't really talk about the NBA for that exact reason."

"That's good," Josh bobbed his head. "Wouldn't want Riley biting your head off because of it."

Lucas scrunched his face when Josh turned away from him. A small smile crept on Lucas's lips. After shortly analyzing Josh's statement, Lucas could only conclude that it seemed that maybe Josh did like Lucas. After all, why would he care if Riley bit his head off? Wouldn't he prefer if she did?

There was a silence between the two as Lucas finished mopping the floors. Once he finished, he set the mop into the bucket of water and headed to the washroom to dispose of the dirty mop water and to store the cleaning equipment away. When he met up with Josh again in the front of the bakery, he figured it was a good time to propose a hang out.

"Um, hey, Josh," Lucas muttered as he sat across from Josh.

"Yeah?" Josh looked up from his phone to look at Lucas.

"Do you think we could hang out sometime?" Lucas asked innocently. If it weren't for their friendly conversation earlier, Lucas didn't think he'd get the courage to ask Josh to hang out.

Josh's eyes lit up in delight, a bit surprised by the boy's offer. He thought about what his niece had said to him earlier. As much as he loved to play games with Lucas, he decided that Lucas has had enough of Josh being such a douche to him. And after talking sports, Josh genuinely wanted to get to know the teenager and finally find out why Riley was absolutely smitten with this guy.

"Sure," Josh replied casually.

"Really?" Lucas narrowed his eyes. Was he still playing with him?

"Yeah, sure," Josh assured him. He shrugged, "I think it'd be fun. We already have two things in common: sports and Riley."

"Wow, I did not expect it to be that easy," Lucas said under his breath, hoping that Josh hadn't heard.

Now not only did Lucas have to get Josh's approval, he was also supposed to learn something about Josh that Riley herself didn't know. Riley and Josh were the closest a niece could be to her uncle. Josh was basically Riley's older brother, if she had one. They told each other pretty much everything, though they diverted from the topic of Lucas a lot of the time. This was going to be hard, because even though they were civil for about ten minutes, Lucas already could tell Josh was going to give him yet another hard time.

* * *

"Thank you for making Ranger Rick help me with my art exhibit," Maya said, leaning against the locker beside Riley's. The two best friends were done school for the day and since they didn't share the same last period class, they made plans to meet up at Riley's locker. Usually, Lucas would be at Riley's locker, but he had basketball practice so Maya took the opportunity to catch up with the brunette.

"It was no big deal," Riley shrugged, her face shoved into her locker. "I really just wanted you two to get along."

"We get along!" Maya protested.

"No, you do not," Riley shook her head. She turned to the blonde. "I love you Maya, but sometimes I don't like the way you treat him. And I don't like the way how he takes digs at you too."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Maya scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He and I talked about this!"

"You did?" Riley's face lit up in interest.

"I explained to him that my snide comments are just me trying to make sure he's good for you," Maya replied. "And I'm assuming he takes his shots at me just because it seems to him like I'm trying to keep you two apart. Or something like that."

"Well, it would be nice to be alone every once in a while," Riley said carefully. She didn't want to offend Maya that sometimes she'd rather spend time with Lucas than her best friend.

"Oh, don't act like you two don't get your alone time," Maya said with a scoff. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the neighboring lockers. "I know about your nightly phone calls."

"Yeah, like that counts!" Riley threw her hands in the air. "I meant like physically alone, Maya."

"Well, when Lucas finishes that list of yours and the two of you officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, I'll give you two your space," Maya offered. "As long as you don't forget about me."

"I could never forget about you, Peaches," Riley reassured the blonde. She held up her hand and pointed to the friendship ring.

* * *

"Riley, dinner time!" Topanga yelled from the kitchen. Riley was in her room doing her math homework. She had been so focused on the quadratic formula since she got home from school, that she didn't realize how many hours had gone by.

Riley checked her phone before getting up. She had received texts from Maya and Farkle. Maya had messaged her something about Josh working at the bakery again. And Farkle was asking for some girl advice. She mentally noted she would answer her texts after dinner. Riley was a bit disappointed, though, that Lucas didn't send her a text. Basketball practice was over for about thirty minutes now, and Lucas didn't bother to send her a message. He always made sure to send Riley a text when he got out of practice. She frowned and shrugged it off before exiting her room.

Cory and Auggie were setting the table when Riley entered the room. Topanga was by the stove, stirring whatever it was she made in the pot. Riley sniffed the air and hoped it was her favorite soup. She was about to sit down at the table when there was knock on the door.

"Can you get that, honey?" Topanga requested.

"Sure," Riley obliged, heading towards the door. "Are you expecting someone, Mom?"

Topanga didn't need to answer Riley when she opened the door. Riley narrowed her eyes and stared at the boy in front of him in confusion. She scratched her head, "Lucas, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for dinner," Lucas replied with a gentle smile, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Topanga suddenly appeared behind Riley and waved at Lucas. She smiled at her guest, "Lucas, come in! You're just in time."

"Hi, Lucas!" Auggie greeted from the table. He waved for him to come over. "Come sit beside me!"

Riley stared at her mother with wide eyes when Lucas passed them to fulfill Auggie's request. Riley shook her head and asked, "Mom? Did you invite him over?"

"I did," Topanga nodded. "He didn't want me to pay him for working at the bakery last night so I invited him over for dinner instead."

"He wouldn't take the money?" Riley asked.

"Refused," her mother confirmed. "He's a nice kid, Riley." Topanga walked over to the others at the table, leaving Riley standing by the door with her mouth agape.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Riley wasn't opposed to Lucas being there for dinner, of course she wanted him there. She was just a bit surprised that her mother had invited him to have dinner with them. Topanga was very fond of the boy, but she wasn't the one to openly show her liking for Lucas. Riley was a bit nervous with how dinner was going to go, but she was confident that Topanga would regulate Cory and whatever inappropriate things he was going to say.

"So, Mr. Friar," Cory cleared his throat and looked at the boy. "I heard you were helping out at the bakery last night."

"Yes, Sir," Lucas answered, looking up from his plate.

"He did a wonderful job," Topanga chimed in.

"He did," Riley agreed with a nod.

"And what were you doing there, Riley?" Cory cocked a brow. "I thought it was only for NYU students? You're not in college. And I don't recall Mom scheduling you a shift."

"No, Daddy, I was filling in for Uncle Josh on his team," Riley replied. "His friends wanted me as a replacement."

"Ah," Cory said with a bob of the head.

Dinner was going smoothly so far. Cory was behaving himself and Lucas seemed to be comfortable with the conversations they were having.

"Lucas, there's a new Star Wars movie coming out next month," Auggie informed their guest. "Would you come watch it with me when it comes out?"

Lucas's mouth curved into a smile, "Of course, Augs. I'd love to."

"Hey!" Riley protested, turning to the curly haired boy sitting beside her. As much as she loved that Auggie and Lucas were practically best friends at this point, she couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy. She knew it was illogical, but she didn't want Lucas stealing Auggie from her. "I want to come!"

"You don't even like Star Wars!" Auggie pointed out. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle at the two's bantering.

"But I wanna go to the movies with you," Riley pouted. "Please?"

"Fine," Auggie breathed. He couldn't say no to Riley's puppy dog face. No one could. "Just don't embarrass me in front of Lucas."

"What? Lucas was my friend first!" Riley replied. "Not cool."

"I swear Auggie's the older one here," Cory said to Topanga as they laughed.

"Hey, we can all be friends," Lucas shrugged with a crooked smile.

Overall, dinner turned out really well. Cory was able to suppress his overprotectiveness over his daughter, and so Lucas was off the hook for the night. Instead, Cory took the opportunity to actually get to know Lucas a little better, apart from what he knew based off of his permanent record. This made Lucas happy, taking it as a sign that Cory was warming up to him.

"Lucas and I are going to my room," Riley announced, getting up as soon as they finished their dessert.

"Not yet," Lucas said, shaking his head. He gestured to all the dirty dishes on the table. "Let's help clean up first."

Riley looked towards her parents. Cory tried his hardest to look unimpressed, while Topanga looked smitten. Lucas was in no way _trying_ to impress Riley's parents. His mother had taught him to act like a gentleman, and a gentleman would offer to help clear the table and wash the dishes.

"How sweet of you, Lucas," Topanga gushed.

When they finished cleaning up, Riley grabbed Lucas's arm and dragged him towards her room.

"Keep your door open!" Cory called out as he watched the two disappear. Topanga stood behind him and put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"You know they're innocent, right?" Topanga asked with a soft smile. It was true. Lucas was not the average teenage boy. Although he had raging hormones, as most teenage boys did, he knew not to act on them. He was kind of old fashioned that way. An old soul trapped in a young man's body. Riley appreciated how respectful Lucas was, it made her feel all the more comfortable with him.

"Why do you like Lucas so much, huh?" Cory asked.

"Hey, you do too," Topanga pointed out as she nudged her husband. She shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I kind of see myself in him. And I don't know why you're so against them being together. You and I were technically together even younger than them."

"That's what I'm scared of," Cory whispered, as if Lucas could hear him from the other room. "We know how that ends."

* * *

At lunch the next day, the six decided that they didn't feel like having cafeteria food so Farkle ordered a pizza for them. Farkle's dad had recently bought a hugely popular pizza chain restaurant, so they basically got free pizza whenever they wanted. It was one of the few times Farkle took advantage of his family's wealth.

"You guys, we haven't all hung out in a while," Smackle said, opening the pizza box and distributing a slice to everyone at the table.

"What do you mean?" Zay scrunched his face. "We have lunch together every day."

"She means outside of school, Zay," Farkle pointed out.

It was very unusual for Smackle to be the one suggesting group hangouts, but over the years she had gotten a lot more comfortable them and learned to enjoy other people's presence. Of course it helped that Farkle was the reason why she felt so comfortable.

"Yeah, I miss it," Smackle pouted.

"Aww!" Riley gushed.

"What about we hang out tonight?" Maya offered with a shrug. Through Maya's tough exterior, deep down she cared deeply for her friends.

Farkle's phone vibrated and he fixated his attention to the message. He gasped when he finished reading the text he had received. He turned to Smackle and playfully smacked her in excitement, "Smackle, you'll never believe it!"

"What is, beloved?" Smackle gripped both his arms, holding him in place.

"My dad just texted me," Farkle said excitedly. "He got tickets to the New York Symphony Orchestra tonight!"

"Oh, how exciting!" Smackle replied cheerfully. She and Farkle had always loved classical music. It was the type of music they'd listen to whenever they did their studying. They had been trying to get a hold of tickets for the show for _months_.

"He got three tickets because he thought he'd be able to go with us, but turns out he has a last minute dinner with some important people so I have an extra ticket," Farkle stated. He looked around the table. "Anyone want to join?"

Riley and Zay pretended to look off into different directions, showing their obvious disinterest. Lucas, on the other hand, took the direct approach and politely declined, "I wish I could, man, but I'm hanging out with Josh tonight."

Maya, who was absentmindedly staring at her nails, immediately returned to reality at the sound of Josh's name. Her face lit up and a grin appeared on her face. She said, "You mean Uncle Boing?"

"Yeah, him," Lucas nodded.

"Uncle Josh, huh?" Riley smirked. She had no idea they had made plans but she was happy to hear it. "Thought you were scared of him." She knew it was risky to have said what she said. The only person who knew that Lucas was intimidated of Josh was Riley. Otherwise, Lucas did a pretty good job at trying to be civil with the guy when his friends were around.

"Am not," Lucas huffed. He shook his head. "Lucas Friar doesn't get scared."

The others exchanged confused looks. They shrugged it off and figured it was a Riley and Lucas thing, which they didn't mind them having their own little world.

"Huh," Maya sat up in her seat. "If Josh is doing something tonight then maybe I should too. Farkle and Smackle, I'll come with you guys to your orchestra show or whatever." She waved her hand in the air. She then propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. She said dreamily, "Maybe there's a chance I'll bump into him. New York City isn't that big."

"No, but there are a lot of people," Smackle said. "So even though you both live in the city, your chances of bumping into each other are very slim."

Farkle tugged on Smackle's arm, "Hush, dearest. Let us have this. Maybe we can get her liking classical music. It'd be much better than the heavy metal she likes to blast everywhere she goes."

Zay clapped his hands together, "Alright. So those three are going to Carnegie Hall and Lucas has a bro date that isn't with me or Farkle. Cool. Guess that just leaves you and me, Riles." He leaned back into his seat.

"Hey! Only I get to call her Riles," Maya countered, slapping her hand on the table, startling everyone else.

Zay rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine. Wanna do something tonight, _Ri_?"

Lucas widened his eyes at Zay's use of Lucas's nickname for the brunette. It was his turn to slam his hand on the table. "Hey! Only I get to call her Ri!"

"You guys are so annoying," Riley rolled her eyes with a scoff. She then smiled at her friends. She was somewhat taken aback by Zay's offer. Everyone knew that out of the group, Riley and Zay weren't the closest. And maybe Zay wanted to change that. Besides, Riley saw the good in people. Maybe she and Zay could resolve their issues once and for all. She turned to him to accept, "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Josh picked Lucas up after school and the two decided to go to the batting cages. They figured that it was common ground for the both of them, so if anything went wrong, they could just divert the conversation back to sports. And because they're boys, they craved for competition.

Riley liked to brag about how good Lucas was at sports, baseball included. She had mentioned to Josh once or twice about Lucas's baseball skills. Josh himself preferred to play baseball over other sports, so he wanted to see if Lucas lived up to Riley's hype or if she was just distracted by how attractive the Texan was.

"Most hits in a minute wins?" Lucas suggested as they tried to come up with rules to go by.

Josh thought about it for a minute but he ultimately agreed to it. He nodded, "Sure. I'll go first, and you can count."

"Sure," Lucas nodded.

Josh put on his helmet and picked up his bat of choice. He stepped into the cage they had rented for the hour. Lucas remained outside and walked to the side of the cage to get a better view. He offered, "Good luck."

"I don't need it," Josh shook his head with a smug look on his face. The machine started to spit balls at Josh and he began to swing. Lucas counted to himself as he watched Josh hit the balls.

A minute later, Lucas returned to the entrance of the cage as Josh exited it.

"How'd I do, cowboy?" Josh asked, setting the bat and helmet down on the ground. He grabbed the bottle of water beside it and downed it.

"Ten hits," Lucas bobbed his head. "Not bad."

"Mhm," Josh said. "Your turn."

After Lucas's turn, Josh had a shocked look on his face. He had never seen the Texan play before, and he had thought Riley was just over exaggerating, but boy, was Lucas good at batting. Josh almost felt guilty for being so cocky earlier.

"How many was that?" Lucas asked with a forced smile. By the look on Josh's face, Lucas wasn't sure if he genuinely was surprised or if he was just acting that way to tease him.

"Thirteen, dang," Josh muttered, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lucas teased.

"Thirteen!" Josh replied in annoyance. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I can't even get mad at that."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me," Lucas replied. He took a chance and patted Josh on the shoulder. Josh didn't seem to react; which Lucas took as a good sign. Maybe it was going to be easy to talk to Josh, especially when he was vulnerable. "I've been playing since I was five."

"I started when I was eight," Josh shrugged. "I'm gonna regret asking this but maybe you could give me some pointers? I've been told my stance isn't the greatest."

"Honestly, I wasn't even paying attention to your stance earlier because I was too focused on counting the balls," Lucas replied. "But you go in again and I'll watch."

Lucas was beaming on the inside. He had never imagined in a million years that Riley's uncle Josh would be asking _him_ for baseball tips. It seemed to surreal to him, but nonetheless, he was just glad everything was working out in his favor. He would hate it if Josh had given him another reason to be afraid of him.

The two took turns in the cage, this time helping each other out with their technique. Josh really hated to admit it, but he knew Lucas was better at baseball than he was. It dented his ego a little bit, but at this point, he didn't even care. All he thought about was how right Riley was about the emerald-eyed boy.

When Riley first told Josh about Lucas, he thought it was complete bullshit. He claimed that no guy was ever that nice, and so ever since, he thought Lucas was a fake. He had changed his opinion on the boy over the years, though. After every interaction they had, Josh's doubt decreased bit by bit. And after spending time at the batting cage with him, he was certain that Lucas was guy Riley described. It was scary accurate. It made Josh feel better, though, knowing that his niece was in good hands.

"You're not so bad, Friar," Josh said. Their time in the cage was almost up and they decided to rest before they headed out. They sat beside each other on the ground with their legs sprawled out in front of them.

"Thanks," Lucas replied, crushing the empty water bottle in his hand. "I was always under the impression that you never liked me."

"Oh, did you now?" Josh smirked. Lucas didn't have to confess for Josh to know. It was obvious that Lucas was very uncomfortable around him. Of course, it was Josh's fault for causing it.

"I mean, yeah," Lucas stared at his feet in front of him. He was oblivious to the fact that Josh knew. He was even more oblivious to the fact that Josh acted that way on purpose to get a rise out of him. "Like I get you're protective of Riley, but I don't know, I feel like your dislike for me isn't related to that."

"Really?" Josh titled his head. Now this, Josh was not aware of. He wasn't sure if Riley knew this information either.

Lucas nodded shyly, "I mean, I know your brother likes me, he's just that way because he's scared of Riley growing up and because 'he knows the story,' whatever that means." He shrugged. "But you? I'm not sure why you don't like me. What did I ever do to you?"

Josh chuckled. "Nothing."

"So then?"

"Look, can I be honest with you?"

"I'd kinda like that, yeah."

"I'll be honest, I didn't like you at first," Josh confessed. "Just the way Riley talked about you, it didn't seem real to me. I thought it was just a boy pretending to be someone he wasn't just so he could get a girl. But over the years, I've grown to like you, Lucas."

"Ooh, you said my name!" Lucas said, a little too cheerfully than what he had intended.

"I know your name," Josh nodded, amused at Lucas's enthusiasm at his use of his first name. Josh could tell his approval was important to Lucas.

"Then why don't you ever use it?"

"Let me finish," Josh requested. Lucas nodded for Josh to continue. "I realized that you weren't really a jerk in disguise. I mean, if you were, why would you wait for Riley for so long? Any other jerk would just move on to the next girl after a few months. But you? You genuinely like her, and I genuinely don't hate you."

"So would you say you approve of me?" Lucas's face lit up.

Josh was quiet for a minute. He already knew his answer, but he wanted to make Lucas squirm one last time before they officially became friends. "I do, yeah."

"That's good," Lucas said. "Does this mean we're friends now?"

"Yeah," Josh purses his lips and nodded. "I guess it does."

Silence fell between the two.

"Why is my approval of you so important?" Josh inquired.

"Well, I'd prefer it if my future girlfriend's family all liked me," Lucas replied sheepishly. "And your approval meant a lot to her. She knows how hard you could be on me."

"Yeah, I know," Josh said. He nudged the Texan. "You gonna ask her out soon?"

"Yeah," Lucas admitted with a grin.

"Took you long enough," Josh smirked. "Not sure if you know this but my niece is very fond of you."

"I know," Lucas replied with a chuckle. "What about you? Got a special lady in your life?"

"Actually, yeah."

Lucas raised his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting that answer from him. "Do tell," Lucas requested, earning a scowl from Josh. "I mean, we're friends now, right?" Josh nodded. "So then you should be able to tell me these things."

"That's fair," Josh shrugged. He paused before continuing. "I… kinda have a crush… on Maya…" He didn't wait for Lucas to answer. "I know it sounds surprising but I don't know… the past couple of years, I feel like she's matured and I could see myself dating her someday."

Lucas smirked. He had no idea that Josh had feelings for Maya. And if Riley had known, the entire group would've known by now as well. And Maya would be dating Josh right now. Lucas asked to confirm his suspicion, "Does Riley know?"

"Nope," Josh shook his head. "She doesn't."

"Huh," Lucas breathed. "That's surprising."

"And why's that?"

"Because you guys seem to tell each other everything."

"That's true," Josh bobbed his head. "But I can't tell her about this. I know for sure she'd go straight to Maya. And I know it sounds bad, but I don't want to start a relationship with her until she's eighteen. You know, in case things end bad and then she blames me for stuff since we would have been together since she was a minor."

"I don't think that sounds bad, I think it sounds responsible," Lucas replied. He scrunched his forehead. "But what happens if you don't have feelings for her anymore when the time comes? It wouldn't be fair for her to keep waiting."

"Honestly, man, I don't think I'd lose them," Josh shrugged. "The feelings I have, I've never felt this strongly before. It's… weird. But the good kind. But I still don't want to get her hopes up, you know? And I don't want to tell her my feelings and then she'll miss out on a high school relationship if the opportunity arises."

"When did you start having these feelings?"

"Probably when I chaperoned your ski lodge trip freshman year," Josh shrugged. "She and I had some interesting conversations. I realized that she was right and that I should stop seeing her as a little girl, and so I did. I began to see her as this beautiful young lady who's quite mature for her age. I think that's mostly due to her daddy issues, but without them, I don't think she'd be the same strong, independent young woman she is today."

* * *

 **Sorry for the lack of Cory/Lucas interaction! I wanted the main focus of this chapter to be Josh/Lucas. Next chapter we focus on Riley/Zay. The topic of Joshaya may be focused on in the future, but I haven't decided yet. As of this chapter, 6 of 10 tasks have been completed. What did you guys think of Josh and Lucas's bro date? And was anyone surprised by Josh's secret?**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Super excited for this chapter. Not only do Zay and Riley finally talk, but there's some Rucas fluff.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

While Josh and Lucas were out at the batting cages, Riley and Zay were hanging out at the bakery. They would've opted to go to the movies, but it wasn't an ideal place to talk. And Riley knew that Zay had a lot to say to her. And she had a lot to say to him, too.

"I'm honestly a little surprised you wanted to hang out with me," Riley said nonchalantly as she sipped from one of the two smoothies her mother had served her and Zay. Riley wasn't trying to come off as rude, she was far from it. She genuinely was taken aback when Zay had offered the hang out.

"And why is that?" Zay replied. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"You're not exactly my biggest fan, Zay," Riley sighed. She looked at up, but he was more interested in staring down at his hands. "Why'd you really ask me to hang out with you?"

"Oh, so I can't hang out with one of my good friends without having a reason?" Zay countered. He put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. He looked at her with a shocked expression on his face.

Riley cocked a brow and gave him an unamused look. They both knew he wasn't fooling anyone with his false ignorance. Zay sighed and caved. He took a deep breath before confessing, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"There it is," Riley muttered, placing her smoothie back on the table. She crossed her arms over her chest. She rolled her eyes. "You couldn't talk about it in front of our friends?"

"It's not something I'd want to talk about in front of them," Zay replied. "Maybe in front of Lucas, but definitely not in front of the others." He paused, then sighed. "Sorry, I know I should've said something sooner but you seemed very stand-offish after that night."

"Well, can you blame me?"

"No, I can't," Zay shook his head. "I figured I'd just wait until you calmed down about it. And you seem pretty calm now."

"It's alright, I get it," Riley shrugged. "I probably wouldn't have agreed to listen to you anyway if you came to me right away."

"Good thing I waited then," Zay said sheepishly with a half-smile. He gestured to his smoothie that rested on the table in front of them. "Wouldn't want you pouring a smoothie over my head."

"Yeah. Good thing I'm not Maya," Riley offered a genuine smile. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You," Zay admitted. "And Lucas. And my feelings about the whole thing."

"Well, that's pretty obvious, Zay," Riley titled her head. "We all know that Lucas is your best friend. And we also know that you don't approve of him having feelings for me because you don't like me."

"I never said that," Zay shook his head.

"It was implied," Riley huffed.

"That's the thing," Zay sighed. "All those comments about you. I didn't realize how much it actually hurt you."

"Of course those comments hurt, Zay!" Riley threw her arms in the air for emphasis. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Zay so oblivious that he had no idea how Riley reacted to his impolite comments? "I try so hard to make you like me. I know Lucas probably doesn't care whether you like me or not, but I care. I don't want to be the reason why you and Lucas stop being friends."

"I do like you, Riley," Zay admitted. "Granted, you ate my cookie—but that's beside the point! The point is, I was totally out of line to always be making those comments. I'll tell you what I told Lucas. When I first met you, I didn't think you were right for him. But my opinion of mine quickly changed when I got to know you… I realized that you are perfect for him. And I also realized the reason why I didn't think you two would make a good match at first was because he wasn't the same Lucas I knew back in Texas. New York changed him. He's a better person now. And the effect you have on him is incredible.

"I know you think I try to come in between you two, but I don't think I ever could. The boy's absolutely crazy about you. And even when I realized you were good for him, I just continued my act so I wouldn't seem like an idiot. That didn't work out too well, huh? Also, I guess I was jealous of the relationship you two had. When I first moved here and reconnected with Lucas, I thought we were going to pick things up where we left off, like they were in Texas.

"But like I said, Lucas changed. I'm sure I've changed, too. It just wasn't the same. We were still friends, and he and the rest of you welcomed me into your little group with open arms, but it wasn't the same. I was never the first person he would come to whenever he was having a bad day or when he had exciting news to share. That person was you, Riley. And I was always the last person to know what was going on in his life.

"I resented you in a way. Because I felt that you were stealing my best friend away from me. I know it sounds childish, but it's true. So I apologize. You didn't deserve how I treated you." Zay released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He felt relieved to have finally come clean with Riley.

Riley looked stunned at Zay's confession. She looked at him with sad eyes. Although she had no idea what he was feeling, she did know that she would probably feel the same way if someone else were to spend more time with Maya than her. Riley understood, the comments was just his defense mechanism. And being the nice person she was, she forgave him.

"Now I don't appreciate your way of dealing with your personal issues," Riley began. "But I forgive you."

"Really?" Zay asked with hopeful eyes. He wanted nothing more than to make things right with Riley. He owed that much to her, to Lucas, to himself.

"You know I'm a forgiving person," Riley softly smiled. "Why is that so surprising?"

"Because I was a jerk," Zay sighed. "I didn't think you'd forgive me."

"I totally get it," Riley assured him. "I'd be scared too if I felt like someone was taking Maya away from me." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't blame you for doing what you did. Do I wish that you would've been a bit nicer to me? Sure, but that's okay. Besides, I kind of got my revenge by eating your cookie."

"You said it was an accident!" Zay shrieked.

Riley shrugged and playfully winked at him, "That was my way of dealing with my issues I had with you."

"Fair enough," Zay replied. "Does this mean we can actually be friends now?"

"Does this mean you like me now?" Riley returned the question with a friendly smile.

* * *

As soon as Riley got home from Topanga's, she checked the time. It was almost eight o'clock so she figured Lucas and Josh would be done their little date by then. She decided to give him a call.

"Hi," she said, satisfied when he picked up. She plopped down onto her bed and pulled the covers over her. She liked to be comfortable when she talked to him on the phone.

"Hey," the smile in his voice was evident.

"Hi," Riley breathed. She couldn't quite explain it, but their little greeting made her the happiest girl in the world. They hadn't even been on the phone for more than thirty seconds and her night was already made just by hearing him say that one syllable. "How was your date?"

Lucas chuckled at her wording and shook his head, "It wasn't a date." Lucas sat upright in his bed with his free arm resting on the back of his head. The batting cage really tired him out. "It was fine."

"Fine?" Riley raised her brows. She frowned, "Oh no, did Uncle Josh scare you off again?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Lucas assured her. "Surprisingly, we got along. Granted, he started warming up to me only after I hit more balls than him in a minute."

"Boys," Riley muttered. "I'll never understand them."

"Sorry, what was that?" Lucas teased.

"Nothing," Riley replied. "Did you get his approval?"

"Of course!" Lucas said. "You think I'd put myself through all that torture and have him _not_ approve of me? I got his approval, and then some."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"I found out something about Josh that you don't know," Lucas responded triumphantly.

"Actually?!" Riley's voice was a bit louder than she had anticipated. As much as she believed in Lucas, she was kind of shocked that he had found out something about Josh that she didn't already know.

"Yeah," Lucas replied proudly. "Our blossoming friendship is off to such a great start that not only did he tell me something you don't know, but he also took me out for dinner."

"So…" Riley's voice trailed off. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Hey, a secret is a secret," Lucas said. "I don't care that he's your uncle."

"You're really milking the fact that Uncle Josh likes you now, huh?" Riley asked with a smile.

"Of course!" Lucas answered. He yawned. "Look, Ri, the batting cages really tired me out. I know it's only eight but I wanna get in some extra hours of sleep. Is that okay with you?"

Riley closed her eyes and released a sigh. She loved that whenever he wanted to get off the phone earlier than usual, he'd always ask if it was okay with her first. Of course it was okay, but it made her happy that he cared enough to ask.

"Yeah," Riley said. "Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Good," Lucas replied. "Then you can tell me what happened with you and Zay."

"Goodnight, Luke," Riley smiled.

"Goodnight, Ri," Lucas smiled before ending the call. He got ready for bed and quickly drifted to sleep with the brunette on his mind.

* * *

"So, I still know something you don't know," Lucas said in a sing song tone the following Monday morning. He had just arrived at school and obviously met up with Riley at her locker. Their morning meetings had become sort of a habit now; which Riley of course didn't mind. She enjoyed the company in the morning. It was better than her scrolling through her phone for an hour before the first bell rang.

"Oh?" Riley raised her eyebrows and a playful smile appeared on her face. "Still about Josh?"

"Mhm," Lucas nodded proudly, rocking on the balls of his feet. He was extremely proud of himself for the task he had completed last night. It was one of the hardest, in his opinion.

"Can you tell me?" Riley asked as she batted her eyelashes.

"Nope," Lucas replied, popping the 'p.'

"Oh, come on," Riley closed her locker before turning to Lucas. She pouted and gave him her infamous puppy dog eyes. Lucas bit his lip as he tried to avoid her gaze. He knew that one look into her big brown eyes and he would cave. But it wasn't fair to Josh. It was Josh's information to share, not Lucas's. And Lucas wasn't about to betray Josh's trust either, especially when they just established a friendship.

Riley huffed when she realized she wasn't getting to him. She narrowed her eyes instead and kissed her teeth, "Damn it. I thought for sure that it would work." She pressed her back to the lockers and slid down until her butt touched the floor. Lucas sat down in front of her.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Lucas smiled as he reached out to tuck a piece of Riley's hair behind her ear. Riley felt a shiver down her spine when his fingers grazed her cheek. "But I'm still not going to tell you."

"And why not?" Riley scrunched her forehead. Her response reminded Lucas of a very cute five-year-old who wasn't getting what they wanted.

"I can't tell you," Lucas said in a hushed tone. He pressed his index finger to his mouth. "It's a secret."

"You're so childish, Lucas," Riley rolled her eyes with a smile. "Fine. I'll let you and Josh play out this bromance. But just know, sooner or later, I will get it out of you if Josh won't tell me."

"I'd like to see you try," Lucas teased. He took her hands and began to play with them absentmindedly. Riley didn't seem to mind. "So, you and Zay. How'd that go?"

"We just had smoothies at the bakery," Riley replied, her gaze on their intertwined hands. She knew her father would kill Lucas if he suddenly spotted them from down the hallway, but she didn't care. Their actions couldn't be any more innocent. "He told me everything."

"About you stealing me from him?"

"His fear of that, yeah," Riley confirmed with a nod.

"So you two are good now then?" Lucas assumed.

"Yep," Riley smiled. "I get that it's his defense mechanism but I really don't want him to keep making those comments about us. About me."

"Don't worry about it," Lucas lightly squeezed her hands. "He won't say anything again. But I'm glad you two worked things out. His comments were really getting out of hand. You know Zay, him and his big mouth."

"Yeah, that's true," Riley agreed with a shrug. Her face suddenly lit up and she released Lucas's hands to grab her backpack beside her and dug through it. Lucas frowned at the separation of their hands and watched her as she frantically searched her backpack.

"Uh, Ri, you okay?" Lucas asked with a worried expression.

"I'm totally fine," Riley assured him. She finally got a hold of the item she had been looking for. A white diary that had gold polka dots all over it. On the front of the book in Riley's dainty handwriting, it read: _Riley Matthews' Super-Secret Diary_. She held it up in front of Lucas with a grin.

"Your diary?" Lucas tilted his head.

Riley nodded and held it out to him. Confused, Lucas reluctantly took it from her. He read the cover and smirked, "Super-secret, huh?"

"Don't get too excited, you basically know me," Riley waved him off. "There's nothing in this that I'm hiding."

"Okay…" Lucas's voice trailed off. "So why are you willingly giving me your diary? To prove that you're an open book? Because if so, that's pretty clever."

"No, you dumbass," Riley replied, rolling her eyes amusingly at him. "It's on the list. Number seven."

Lucas frowned, "Oh, you were serious about that?"

"So serious," Riley confirmed with a sly smile.

* * *

 **I doubt anyone is going to guess this next task. It's very unique and has nothing to do with any of Riley's friends or family. Thanks for reading, as always. Let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**I finished the next two chapters before I even got this one done. For some reason I was having a hard time writing this, but I hope it's okay. I was meaning to post sooner but school got in the way. Speaking of school… I found out my university has a fanfiction course so I'm taking it in the summer (I'm doing English and professional writing as my minors). I just thought it was really cool that my school offers that course. Anyway, longer author's note at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

For some reason, Riley wanted Lucas to read a passage from her diary in front of a crowd and act like it was his own. Now if there was a task on Riley's list that Lucas didn't understand, it would have to be this one. But he figured that she wanted to get at least some sort of entertainment out of it. It didn't bother him too much; he wouldn't mind embarrassing himself in front of people for her. He'd rather not embarrass himself, but if it would get Riley to be his girlfriend, then he would.

Throughout his morning classes, he found the time to take a look at the diary entry in question. He felt slightly embarrassed after each time he read it. It involved a lot of… female stuff that he was lucky enough not to understand, though he learned about it in health class. And he had to read that in front of people? Oh, boy. He needed a lot of courage to complete this task. But he knew that because it was for Riley, he wouldn't have a hard time at all.

Since Riley said she had nothing to hide, Lucas figured there would be no harm in reading a couple of entries. He realized that it was somewhat an invasion of privacy, but she gave the entire diary to him in the first place! If she had any concerns about the things she had in there, she would've just photocopied or tore out that one entry she wanted Lucas to 'perform.'

Riley had the diary since she started the seventh grade, because Lucas realized that the first entry included him in it. The day they met on the subway. He smiled to himself as he read it, reminiscing that moment. Oh, how he yearned to be back on that subway with her on his lap. Things were… a lot less complicated then.

Lucas decided to flip through some more pages from their seventh and eighth grade years, until something caught his eye. He looked around the classroom, he was in history class and once again Cory had given the class some free time while he stepped out of the room to print some extra worksheets. Everyone was immersed in some kind of activity, Riley and Maya seemed to be watching a funny video on one of their phones, Farkle and Smackle were reading from the textbook, and Zay seemed to be doodling—or exchanging notes with one of the cute girls in class, Lucas couldn't tell which.

Since his friends were all preoccupied, he read the passage that had caught his eye with a simple sentence: 'Lucas and Maya would be perfect for each other.' What the hell? Lucas read the entire passage. Confused and a bit intrigued, he checked if there were following entries with the same topic. There were. From what Lucas had read, all he could gather was that Riley doubted his feelings for her, assuming that he had stronger feelings for her best friend. Had he read that right?

Though Lucas never outwardly said it—because he didn't think he'd have to—he never had feelings for Maya. Never had, never would. It wasn't that Maya wasn't a good person, which she was, most of the time, it was just… she wasn't Riley. And from day one, Riley was who Lucas wanted. He thought it was ridiculous, the things he read. He never realized that Riley had felt that way, and now he couldn't help but wonder—did she still feel that way?

Despite the fact that the entries were written years ago, Lucas couldn't get the words out of his head. How was he going to finally start a relationship with Riley if she didn't think he had feelings for her? A worse thought came to mind: what if Riley's anxiety about the whole thing made her lose feelings for him? What if Lucas wasn't getting anything out of completing the list? What if it was Riley's way of getting back at him for flirting with Maya in the past?

Lucas wasn't even aware that he was flirting with Maya. They bantered with each other, _argued_ even, but did that really count as flirting? No, it was just joking among friends. How in the world did Riley come up with the idea that Lucas and Maya liked each other? The two _despised_ each other, and they constantly fought over Riley. But somehow, Riley assumed that the innocent arguing between the two was _flirting_?

For years, Lucas made sure that Riley knew how genuine his feelings were for her. He never once gave Maya a second thought, not in the way he thought about Riley, anyway.

Maybe all his friends knew about this. Maybe he was just too passive and okay with things to even realize what was going on around him at the time, because he was too focused on Riley—not Maya. But surely if his friends knew, someone would've told him.

* * *

"Huh, what's this?" Maya asked as she entered the bakery with her friends in tow. The bakery had a small stage set up on the other side of the room with a banner hanging on it that read: Open Mic Night.

"It's exactly what it says on the banner, Peaches," Riley replied, sitting down in her usual seat. Her friends also sat in their respective spots. "My mom's been planning this for the past couple weeks. She thinks it'll give the place more buzz."

"Sounds fun," Zay offered.

"Should be," Riley shrugged. "If it's successful she wants to make it a weekly thing."

"Well, nothing better than public humiliation, right?" Smackle said.

"I doubt anyone will be humiliating themselves tonight," Maya replied.

A smirk appeared on Riley's face, "Wanna bet?"

"Lucas said he'll be here soon," Farkle said, looking up from his phone.

"Okay, cool," Riley replied. Of course, she already knew what was taking Lucas so long. Riley had mentioned the open mic night to him earlier, and she was sure that he was going to take it as an opportunity to complete this daunting task.

"Hey guys," Topanga greeted with an inviting smile as she walked over to their table. She was holding a clipboard in her hands.

"Hi Mrs. Matthews," Riley's friends simultaneously greeted.

"You guys want anything?" Topanga offered.

"Just some drinks, I guess. Thanks, Mom," Riley replied after exchanging looks and nods with her friends.

"Okay, I'll be back with those," Topanga nodded, she had memorized what each of her daughter's friends preferred. She held out the clipboard. "Also, before I go. I'm sure you guys know it's open mic night tonight. I was wondering if any of you guys might want to perform something?"

Riley nudged Maya, who was sitting beside her. Maya turned to the brunette with an annoyed expression, until Riley wiggled her eyebrows at her best friend. Maya, still confused, asked, "You okay there, Riles?"

"I'm fine, Peaches," Riley said slowly. She motioned to the clipboard still in Topanga's hands. "Maybe you'd like to sing a song you've been working on?"

Farkle, Smackle, and Zay stared at the blonde with interested eyes. They all knew she sang, but none of them except for Riley, knew that she wrote original songs. It was something she liked to keep under wraps, but thanks to Riley, that was all out in the open now.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Maya huffed. As much as she didn't mind singing in public, she had never performed an original song before unless you counted the multiple times she'd sang to Riley in her bedroom.

Riley looked around the room and noticed that Josh was working a shift. She squeezed Maya's thigh and moved her head towards the direction of her uncle. Maya suddenly stiffened when she saw Josh. Her eyes grew wide and she gripped Riley's arms a bit too tight for comfort. She leaned in to Riley and whispered, "Oh my god, what is he doing here?!"

"He's working, Maya," Riley pointed out.

"Nope, nope, I need to leave," Maya said as she got up and rushed out of the bakery.

Riley rolled her eyes as the rest of her friends sat there and looked confused about the whole thing. They looked at Riley with curious eyes, to which she responded with a shrug. She took the clipboard from her mother and wrote down Maya's name on the list.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Farkle asked.

"Signing Maya up," Riley replied.

"From the looks of things, I don't think she'd like that very much, Riley," Smackle said unsurely.

"She'll thank me later," Riley replied. "I know what I'm doing."

"Well, in that case," Zay began, then snatched the clipboard from Riley's hands. He scribbled down his name as well. "I'm going to recite some poetry."

"You write poetry?"

"Hey, what's so surprising about that?" Zay asked, giving the clipboard back to Topanga. Topanga shook her head, amused by her daughter's friends' antics, then walked away. "I also do ballet; you guys know that. I'm a very sensitive person."

"We didn't say you weren't," Riley chuckled. She then looked towards the door. "Okay, I gotta go check up on Maya now. Make sure she didn't vandalize anything."

* * *

As much as Maya loved Riley, she hated it whenever she pushed her buttons. Most especially, she hated it when she teased her about having a crush on Josh. On more than one occasion, Maya would always ask for Riley's opinion on the matter. And more than once, she'd never give one. So Maya had come to the conclusion that Riley didn't think Maya's crush on Josh was a big deal. This offended the blonde greatly, she thought her crush on Josh was a _huge_ deal.

When Maya stormed out of the bakery, she knew she couldn't run off very far. And to make things easier for her, she decided to sit at the front steps. Sure enough, Riley was there to comfort her in a matter of seconds. Her presence was a little delayed than what Maya had expected, but she figured that their friends were pressing questions.

Riley sighed at the sight of Maya sitting on the stairs with her arm propped on her leg and her chin in her hand. She sat down beside the blonde and rested her head on her shoulder. She offered, "I don't know why you won't sing that song in front of people—in front of Uncle Josh."

"Riles, you know damn well why I won't sing it," Maya replied sternly.

"I don't get it, though," Riley shrugged. "You wrote the song about him. Wouldn't you want him to hear it?"

"I do," Maya sighed, defeated by the truth. "But it's useless. Josh doesn't see me that way and he never will. I will forever be his niece's stalker best friend. Besides, you don't approve of me and him."

Riley shook her head, "No, no. You got it all wrong. It's not that I don't approve of you two. If something was to flourish between you two, I'm all for it! I believe in people, you know that. If it ever seemed like I was against the idea, it was just me being protective of you. You know he has a lot of girl friends, and a lot of them have told me he was a flirt. I don't want him leading you on, especially since we don't even know if he likes you.

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't tell him how you feel. How you _really_ feel. I think Uncle Josh should know that. Do it for yourself, not for him. And hey, if things work out and he does have reciprocating feelings, then I'm all for this Joshaya train."

"Joshaya?" Maya furrowed her brows.

"Yeah, that's your couple name," Riley replied, evidently proud of her portmanteau.

"So you've been thinking about us as a couple?"

"I have hope in people," Riley replied simply with a soft smile. She got up and took a few steps towards the door to Topanga's. She turned to Maya and invitingly gestured her head towards the bakery, "Come on, you go up on that stage and sing your little heart out in front of your crush. You have nothing to lose. _And_ , if you think you've embarrassed yourself, I promise you that there will be someone worse."

"It's New York City," Maya pointed out. "People here are insanely talented. Most people get discovered at small coffee shops."

"Exactly," Riley shrugged. "And that could be you."

"Okay," Maya released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She got up and followed Riley to the door. She muttered, "Something tells me my name's already on the list."

Riley wrapped her arms around the blonde and squeezed her excitedly, "You know me so well, Peaches!"

* * *

"I'm here!" Lucas announced as he arrived at the bakery. He walked over to his friends and caught his breath.

"Dude, what took you so long?" Zay asked. "You missed like half the show. You missed Maya's song! And more importantly, you missed my poem!"

"It was about Vanessa," Farkle chuckled, earning himself a glare from an unamused Zay. Farkle held up in hands in defense and with wide eyes.

"Sorry, I was rehearsing," Lucas replied sheepishly, taking a quick glance at Riley, who was trying so hard to suppress a smirk. He clutched the diary in his hand to his side.

"Ooh, you gonna sing, Ranger Rick?" Maya smiled mischievously, intrigued by the thought of the cowboy singing some kind of country song. She mentally went through a list of country songs she knew. It was a short list.

"Oh, god no," Lucas shook his head with a shaky laugh.

"Then what were you rehearsing for?" Smackle asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Next up, Lucas Friar!" Josh announced. Halfway through the show, Riley had told the emcee, aka her uncle, about Lucas's little performance and got his name on the list without her friends knowing. The bakery filled with welcoming applause.

Lucas pointed towards the stage, "That."

The friends exchanged looks with each other, all curious with what Lucas was about to do. Riley didn't want to seem suspicious, so she denied knowing anything when asked, "I have no idea what is about to happen. I was here with you guys the whole time."

Lucas took a deep breath as he stepped onto the small stage. Josh encouraged Lucas with a pat on the back before stepping offstage.

"Hi, everyone," Lucas began with a nervous wave. "I would like to read you all a passage from my diary." He paused to cough. "This was from when I was twelve. Here we go." He took a deep breath and raised the diary in front of him. "Dear Diary, today I became a woman. How, you ask? Well, let me tell you. This morning when I went to pee, there was blood in the toilet! I quickly realized that it came from me! I freaked out, of course. I thought I was dying! I called my mom into the bathroom to show her what happened, and she explained to me that it was normal, and that my body's changing. She said it was part of growing up, part of becoming a woman. It's scary to think about blood coming out of you, but I guess I'll get used to it. I'll have to live with it every month for the next forty years or so. Love, Lucas."

Throughout parts of his 'performance,' the bakery filled with laughter. It wasn't every day you heard a boy talk about his 'lady issues.' Lucas didn't mind the laughter, in fact, the more people laughed, the more confident he became.

Lucas looked out into the crowd when he finished reading. A lot of the audience tried to stifle their laughs, while others were blatantly crying from laughing so hard. It was stupidly obvious that he hadn't wrote it himself, but it still amused everyone.

Once Lucas got offstage, he returned to his friends with an obvious hint of embarrassment on his face. None of them could believe that he had just done that.

"Oh my god," Maya burst out laughing, clutching to her sides. The others couldn't help but to join the laughter.

"Shut up," Lucas shot her a glare as he plopped down beside Riley.

"You did very well," Riley teased, mocking him with applause.

"Don't patronize me," Lucas muttered, turning to the brunette with a pout. She smiled at him, lightly squeezing his forearm. He wanted so badly to return the smile, but he couldn't. He was suddenly reminded of her possibly still doubting him.

* * *

 **Amazingly, one of you guys guessed this task correct! Granted, I'm assuming they knew where the idea was from. There's this Canadian show called The Next Step, and there's this couple, James and Riley. They had this arc in the show, which is basically where I got the idea of this story from. I tried to make my tasks as original as possible (and appropriate with the nature of this world) but this one task I just had to borrow! And just to clarify, the entry in that show was nothing like this one. If you want a visual of the situation (and pretend it's Rucas), send me a message and I'll send you a link to the scene that inspired this.**

 **Also, I found a place for my Joshaya arc, as you could tell in this chapter. I didn't want to focus too much on them here, which is why I didn't include Maya singing. I'm also trying to work one in for Zay, but that one isn't for certain. My idea for Zay works around Rucas but I'm not sure if I'm gonna go in that direction. But anyway, 7 tasks have been completed now. Let me know what you guys think!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**I'm glad the last chapter made you all laugh! Prepare yourself for this one. We're shifting gears now.**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

The entries he had read from Riley's diary had irritated Lucas to no end. He couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept him awake. He needed to talk to someone about it. He needed to talk to Farkle. Farkle was his best bet because of how close he was to Riley. The two had been friends since they were born, thanks to their parents who happened to have went to school together when they were younger.

Lucas figured that if anyone would know about the entries, Farkle would. Farkle knew Riley inside out. Lucas assumed that Riley would have gone to Farkle during the period the diary entries were written and not Maya.

Lucas couldn't find Farkle before school, so he waited until the first bell rang and waited for him outside his biology class. He leaned against the wall beside the door, looking as casual as possible. A couple of minutes later, Farkle finally showed up. But before Farkle could enter the classroom, Lucas pulled him aside.

"Farkle, I need to talk to you," Lucas said frantically, scratching the back of his head.

"First period's just starting," Farkle pointed out. "Can't it wait?"

"No, it can't," Lucas said through gritted teeth. He leaned in to his genius friend and whispered, "It's an emergency."

"Emergency? Alright then, just give me a second," Farkle said, raising an index finger. He turned to the door and looked inside the room, spotting Smackle in her usual seat. He waved her over to the door.

"Lucas," Smackle greeted in a flirty tone when she realized he was standing beside Farkle. Farkle smiled and placed a kiss on Smackle's cheek. He was finally okay with Smackle's 'flirting' with his best friend, he knew it didn't mean anything. She furrowed her brows, "Is everything okay, beloved?"

"Everything is okay," Farkle nodded. "I just need you to cover for me for a bit. I'm gonna be late to class."

"What do you mean? You're right here," Smackle pointed out, gesturing to his physical presence.

"I know, dear, but I have to deal with something," Farkle replied. "I won't be later than twenty minutes. Promise."

"Okay…" Smackle was reluctant to agree to cover for her boyfriend. She eyed Lucas and pointed a finger to his chest. "Don't get my love in trouble, ya hear me cowboy?"

Lucas grasped Smackle's finger and slowly lowered it. He smiled, "It's nothing like that, Smackle. And if this really involved violence, you think Farkle would be the first I call for backup?" He shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Not a chance."

Smackle shrugged and looked over at Farkle's scrawny figure, "I guess you're right. But still. Don't get him into trouble, even if it's not physical violence." She turned to Farkle, "I'll cover for you, but I swear if you're not back in twenty minutes—"

Farkle closed the gap in between them, holding both her hands over her chest. He assured her, "I promise." He placed a peck on her lips before Lucas pulled him down the hall.

"Gross, is this how you feel whenever me and Riley are all stupid eyes with each other?" Lucas asked with a shudder as they walked down the hallway.

"Pretty much, yeah," Farkle shrugged. "But unlike you, we don't like PDA."

"How is staring into each other's eyes PDA?" Lucas asked.

"Because we all know you're basically together," Farkle pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Just promise me that once you get together you won't make out in front of us? Because she's like my sister and that'll just be uncomfortable for me, you know?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. He and Farkle made their way to the hole, that undefined area between the two floors that they found themselves in for the first few weeks of freshman year. After the incident with the seniors that year, the six friends decided to make the best out of that hole. They made it their safe place at school, their bay window of sorts. They'd go there whenever they needed to talk to each other, especially when it was in the middle of class. The two sat on the floor with their legs sprawled out and their backs against the wall.

Lucas sighed, unsure where to begin. He knew it was kind of silly for him to be overthinking about something that happened years ago, but his nerves got the best of him. He was so close to becoming Riley's boyfriend, and of course there had to be another setback keeping him from her.

Farkle noted Lucas's worried features. When Lucas began to absentmindedly play with his hands, Farkle spoke up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lucas said, clearing his throat.

"Then what's up?" Farkle asked. "I don't have all day, Lucas. At this point, I only have fifteen minutes left before Smackle bites my head off."

"Sorry," Lucas muttered. He wiped his perspired hands on his legs. "I'll make it quick."

"Go on…" Farkle urged, his voice trailing off.

"It's Riley," Lucas said simply.

"Oh my god, is she okay?" Farkle said with wide eyes.

"She's fine!" Lucas assured the genius.

"Then what's wrong?" Farkle asked, suddenly more interested in the subject.

"She doubts us… doubts me," Lucas said as he hung his head.

"I know you're a dumb dumb, but don't be ridiculous!" Farkle snapped. "She has nothing but faith in you guys, this is Riley we're talking about! What makes you say that?"

"She gave me her diary, told me she was an open book," Lucas replied with a sigh.

"So it was her diary you read from last night, not yours," Farkle smirked, reminded by how entertaining Lucas was at the bakery's open mic night.

"What gave it away?"

"Besides the obvious point that you are a _boy_ ," Farkle replied, "I made out the cover. Riley Matthews' Super-Secret Diary? Yeah, okay, bud." He patted Lucas on the back.

"Okay, _anyway_ ," Lucas said, rolling his eyes. "Since she said she had nothing to hide, I decided to skim through the diary even though I probably shouldn't have… I came across some entries from a couple years ago… she said she doubted my feelings for her. She thought Maya and I would make a much better couple."

"You and Maya?" Farkle scoffed. "Yeah, like that would turn out well."

"Farkle, focus!" Lucas smacked Farkle in the chest. "I've never liked Maya. All she ever does is mess with me. Here, look, I took photos of the entries before I gave the diary back to Riley. Read them, please. I need to know what you think." Lucas pulled out his phone from his pocket and searched for the photos of the pages before handing it to Farkle.

As Farkle read the pages, Lucas was repeatedly hitting his head against the wall. Farkle noticed this, and as he finished reading the remaining entries, he held his hand up to the wall so that Lucas's head would hit his hand instead.

"Okay, Lucas, stop," Farkle ordered when he finished reading. Lucas obliged and so Farkle removed his hand from the wall. He handed the phone back to his friend.

"So? What do you think?" Lucas urged, impatient to hear Farkle's take on things.

"I think…" Farkle began, "that this was written years ago."

"Yes, I know that," Lucas nodded.

"So why are you so worried about this if it was in the past?" Farkle asked. "It's obvious that Riley's gotten over it, otherwise she wouldn't be in this crazy non-relationship with you. If she really did think you and Maya had feelings for each other, she would've stepped back. She's very selfless, you know, she'll put you guys before herself. If she still doubted your feelings for her now, you don't think she would've mentioned it to you by now?"

Lucas blinked at the genius. He knew what he said was right, but Lucas still couldn't bring himself to be at ease.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lucas admitted. "But why can't I shake off the feelings that she may still feel that way?"

"Well, then I suggest you talk to Maya about it," Farkle replied with a shrug. "I would assume that maybe Riley would have told at least Maya. Now I gotta get to class. And you should, too." Farkle got up from his position and took a couple of steps towards the stairs before Lucas's voice stopped him. He turned to face Lucas, who was still sitting on the floor.

"Okay," Lucas said. "Um, but before you go. Just tell me: what do you think about the me and Maya thing?"

"Honestly?" Farkle raised his brows. "You guys would never work out. All you ever do is push each other down. You need someone to bring out the better you, and Riley does that. And as great of a person Riley already is, you light up her life as well. So don't you ever for a second doubt what Riley thinks you want. You know what you want, and it's her."

* * *

Right at lunch, Lucas was relieved to find Maya at a table in the cafeteria. He wanted to talk to her, and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to get her alone without it being suspicious. He walked over to her and sat beside her.

"Ooh, pretty," Lucas said, admiring the sketch Maya was currently working on.

Maya looked up at him and smiled, "Thanks Ranger Rick. Of course it's pretty, it's Riley."

"Huh, you're right," Lucas titled his head, examining the paper and making out the features that were obviously Riley's. "You really like drawing her, don't you?"

"I do," Maya nodded. "She's one of my favorite subjects to draw."

"I am too, aren't I?" Lucas joked.

"What do you mean?" Maya scrunched her face.

"That subway painting," Lucas said. "Riley pointed out you put us in there."

"Oh, yeah," Maya replied, palming her forehead. "It felt appropriate. The subway is kind of your thing. And like I said before, I do support you two, no matter what you think."

"Yeah, so that's what I need to talk to you about…" Lucas's voice trailed off. He wasn't sure how to bring it up. Maya closed her sketchbook, suddenly intrigued and gave him her full attention. She gestured for him to continue. "What do you know about Riley's opinion on us?"

"Well, I mean, she's liked you since the seventh grade, and so have you—"

"No," Lucas shook his head, interrupting the blonde. "Not me and Riley. Me and you."

"Me and you?" Maya raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that. What did she and Lucas have to do with anything? She kissed her teeth and slowly began, "Well… Riley hates the fact that I'm so mean to you sometimes, but—"

"I'm not talking about platonically," Lucas replied with a straight face.

"God, Huckleberry, will you stop interrupting me?" Maya huffed.

"Sorry," Lucas muttered.

"That's okay," Maya replied. "If you don't mean platonically… then what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Lucas deadpanned. He paused before continuing. He looked up at Maya with serious eyes, "Do you have feelings for me, Maya?"

"What? No!" Maya's forehead creased and she donned a disgusted look on her face. She studied his reaction and laughed. "Oh my god, you can't be serious."

"It's a valid question, Maya," Lucas reasoned.

"Not really," Maya shrugged. "I've never liked you that way and I never will. No offence."

"None taken," Lucas replied.

"But why would you bring this up…" Maya's voice trailed off when a wave of realization hit her. She looked at him with wide eyes, "Wait… do you—?"

It was Lucas's turn to give the blonde a disgusted look. "Ew, no!"

"Then where is this all coming from?!" Maya asked frantically, confused by where this conversation was going.

"So as you could probably tell, one of the tasks included me reading out of her diary—"

"And how entertaining that was!" Maya commented with a smirk. Lucas shot her a look. "Sorry. Please continue, Ranger Rick."

"You know what, here," Lucas said, sliding his phone across to her. "Read them."

"Um, okay…" Maya looked at his phone before reluctantly picking it up. She did what she was told. Once she was finished, she had an entertained look on her face. "This is ridiculous."

"She's never told you about this?" Lucas asked, taking his phone back from the blonde.

"Nope," Maya confirmed, popping the 'p.'

"So you don't like me?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Huckleberry, but I don't," Maya replied with a shrug. "The only one I have a crush on is Uncle Boing."

"Good to know," Lucas muttered with a slight smirk.

"Ugh, Josh," Maya whined. Suddenly, her whole mood changed. It brought her back to last night, when she was singing in front of everyone, but her attention was solely on Josh. He seemed entranced by the song, her voice, but she knew she couldn't get her hopes up. He was three years older, and sure, that won't matter years from now, but right now, it did matter. It also mattered that Josh was known as a flirt among his friends, why hadn't she given up already? She spent most of her childhood crushing over him and she didn't think she could handle the one-sided relationship any longer.

"You okay?" Lucas asked, noticing the worried features on Maya's face.

"Yes… no…" Maya admitted. "Do you think Josh… Riley said she has hope for us but I don't think—"

"Hey," Lucas interrupted, placing a hand over hers to calm her down. "Riley said she has hope in you two. You should have hope as well. Josh will come around."

"How are you so sure?"

"Just a hunch," Lucas sheepishly shrugged.

"Thanks, Ranger Rick," Maya offered a weak smile. She reached out and placed her hand over his. "And don't worry about Riley, okay? She only has eyes for you and only you. And you also seem completely enthralled by her, otherwise you wouldn't be doing this list."

Lucas looked down at their hands and softly smiled. He knew it was a friendly gesture, and he was grateful. It was one of the few times where he and Maya got along fairly well. But he knew if others saw them in that moment, it would be all blown out of proportion. He said, "Thank you, Maya. I really needed to hear that."

* * *

Riley was a bit late to lunch, she had stayed back after her previous class to talk to her teacher about an upcoming assignment. As she walked into the cafeteria and scanned the room for her friends, she couldn't believe what she saw.

Her world came crashing down on her. She had spotted her friends—two of them, to be exact. She hadn't expected that. She felt rage, her blood began to boil, she couldn't approach them. Not when Maya's hand was on Lucas's, not when Lucas didn't push her hand away. A thousand thoughts began to run through her mind. Her insecurities from the seventh and eighth grade quickly resurfaced, and Riley was suddenly drowning in her own negative thoughts. She felt like she was going to puke.

She couldn't be in the same room as them. She had to get out. She had never felt more betrayed in her life, and she never once expected it to be from two of her best friends.

* * *

 **AH. I didn't want everything to be too fluffy so of course I had to throw a curveball your way. Anyway, I probably won't be able to update until next week because I have three papers due and I want to finish all of those before I write the next few chapters. Hope you all understand! See you soon!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry my absence was longer than I anticipated. I should be updating frequently again.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

After lunch, Smackle was asked to pick up a couple of academic journals from the library in the middle of her chemistry class. Farkle, who was in the class with her, offered to go instead of her, but she insisted that he stay and continue on their experiment. Besides, she needed a little air from all of the toxic chemicals that lingered in the room. She was a woman of science, but that didn't mean her lungs agreed with it.

Smackle made her way to the back of the library, where she knew all academic papers were kept. As she neared the end of the bookshelf, she heard a stifled sniffling. Curious, she followed the sound. She gasped when she found the source. She didn't expect it to be Riley. Riley should be in class right now, but she wasn't. Instead, Riley was sitting on the floor in the corner, her legs pulled up and her head buried between her knees. She didn't realize Smackle's presence until Smackle coughed.

Riley looked up at the raven haired girl with bloodshot eyes. It was hard not to notice them. Not when all Smackle ever knew was Riley's big brown cheery eyes, not these pain filled ones. Smackle felt a pang to her chest. She didn't like it when her friends looked vulnerable or upset. All the feelings were still new to her, but she knew that she needed to help the brunette.

"Riley?" Smackle whispered as she lowered herself to be at eyelevel with her. Riley responded with a sniffle and forced a smile. Smackle shook her head. Smackle said, "You don't have to pretend with me, bubbles. I know there's something wrong. You weren't at lunch, and now I'm assuming you're skipping class as well. What's wrong?"

"Smackle," Riley's voice cracked, her arms reaching out for her friend. Smackle pursed her lips and obliged with what Riley wanted—a comforting hug. They remained in an embrace for a couple of seconds until Smackle felt Riley relax. Smackle pulled away from her and put her hands on Riley's shoulders.

"Talk to me, please," Smackle pleaded. She needed Riley to say something, to assure her that she was okay. Riley shook her head in response. Smackle sighed, carefully taking Riley's hand into hers. "You know you can trust me. I'm getting good at talking now."

Riley couldn't help but softly giggle. She sniffled and wiped her face before replying weakly, "I know, Smackle."

"Then why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Smackle furrowed her brows. She finally sat down in front of her.

"Because I don't think it's as big of a problem as it actually is," Riley replied truthfully. "I tend to overreact."

"Well, what is it?"

"Boys," Riley sighed, looking down at her feet. "They're stupid."

"Not when they're a genius," Smackle replied, earning an annoyed look from Riley. Smackle's face fell. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood."

Riley sighed, "I know. And I appreciate it, Smacks. I really do." She allowed fresh tears to roll down her cheeks.

"Oh no," Smackle frowned, reaching out to wipe Riley's tears. "What did that stupid cowboy do?"

"I saw him…" she sniffled. She didn't want to say the next part out loud. It would make it too… real. "With Maya… They were holding hands."

"Lucas… and Maya?" Smackle repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure," Riley replied sadly. She still couldn't believe what she had witnessed earlier.

"You don't think they'd do that to you… do you?" Smackle asked genuinely.

"I don't know, Smackle," Riley took a deep breath. "All I know is that I can't be here right now. I want to go home. I need some time to think, think this whole thing over about Lucas. If they really did like each other, I would step back immediately. I don't know why think they could hide it from me."

Smackle furrowed her brows. That didn't sound like the Lucas and Maya she knew. There had to be some kind of explanation, Riley for sure had to be jumping to conlcusions. There was _no way_ that Lucas and Maya would betray Riley like that. It was illogical.

"That doesn't sound like them," Smackle shook her head, refusing to believe what she just heard.

"But it's true!" Riley countered, sobbing once again. "I'm not a liar. You have to believe me."

"I know you're not a liar," Smackle assured the brunette, rubbing her back to comfort her. "Please don't cry. I'm not too good at handling sad people."

"Could you walk me to the office?" Riley requested. "I'm gonna sign out and go home. If I stay and go to class, I wouldn't be able to focus anyway."

"Riley, I don't think that's such a good idea," Smackle replied. Riley looked at her with pleading eyes. Smackle sighed. She couldn't say no to a face like that. "Fine. Don't hesitate to call me if you need me, okay?"

"Thank you, Smackle," Riley reached out for a hug. "I promise I'll be at school tomorrow. I'll be fine after tonight."

"You better be," Smackle replied. "You know there's no hiding your pain from the rest of us."

* * *

That afternoon, the gang had a study session planned at Topanga's. They didn't have any huge tests or assignments coming up, but they still liked to do their homework together. It was their excuse for hanging out just a little bit more.

Maya furrowed her brows when she realized there was someone missing from their group. She voiced her concern, "Hey, you guys. Where's Riley? She's usually the first one here, I mean, it's her parents' bakery."

"Yeah… she wasn't in last period…" Lucas chimed in. He was somewhat glad that Riley wasn't in class, he knew he would've just acted strange around her especially since he had something consuming his thoughts. But still, he couldn't help but worry about her absence.

"Now that I think of it, Riley wasn't at lunch either," Zay added with a shrug.

"She was talking to her teacher during lunch I believe," Farkle recalled.

"I saw her when she signed out of the office," Smackle said casually. She knew she needed to cover for Riley. She didn't need their friends being suspicious. "She was looking real pale. Said she wasn't feeling well."

"Is she okay?" Farkle asked, furrowing his brows.

"I think she'll be fine," Smackle replied. "She just needs some rest; you know?"

"Yeah, I'd go check up on her," Maya began. She scrunched her face. "But she gets moody when she gets visitors when she's sick. I'll just text her."

"What kind of best friend are you?" Lucas scoffed. "If you're not gonna go check up on her, then I will."

"I wouldn't if I were you," Maya warned.

"I've seen her sick before, Maya," Lucas reminded her, waving his hand in the air. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, but if you get a chair thrown at your head I'm not the one to blame here," Maya said with a shrug.

"I'll remember that," Lucas replied as he got up and exited the bakery.

Smackle sat in her seat with a worried look. She didn't think Riley would want to see Lucas, and she knew she should've stopped him, but at the same time, Smackle knew that the two needed to work it out. She took a deep breath and hoped everything would work itself out. She couldn't handle keeping secrets.

* * *

To Lucas, it felt like an eternity, climbing up the fire escape. He couldn't have been outside Riley's window any sooner. He worried about her, he knew how much she hated being sick. So he bought her a bouquet of flowers, it always cheered her up. Once he finally reached her window, he noticed the window was locked. So he lightly tapped on the window and waited for a response. When she didn't answer, he tapped again. Again, no response.

Confused, Lucas looked through the window, scanning the room for any sign of the brunette. He spotted her laying in bed, her back to the window. She looked peaceful, asleep. Her steady breathing comforted Lucas that she was okay. He sighed and frowned. Not only did he want to comfort her in her time of weakness, but he also wanted to talk to her about his growing concerns about those several diary entries that had kept him awake ever since.

He sighed when he realized Riley wouldn't be waking up any time soon, she was a deep sleeper. It was only five o' clock, and depending on what time she had fallen asleep, she could easily sleep through the night and wake up the next morning. Defeated, Lucas left the flowers outside the window, hoping for good weather that night so the flowers wouldn't get ruined.

Lucas didn't bother returning to the bakery, he figured he'd just head home and try to forget about the fact that at one point in time, Riley doubted his feelings. He felt that he must have done something wrong for her to have felt that way, but he couldn't dwell on it now. It was so long ago, and if Riley could get over it (if she has), then why couldn't he?

* * *

Riley woke up the next morning with several text messages for her friends. Judging by the texts, she realized that Smackle had covered for her. She quickly sent Smackle a thank you text before replying to the others. She left Lucas's message for last because she was still a bit angry and upset with him. Her anger lessened when she read his message:

 _Stopped by around five yesterday to make sure you were okay but you were asleep. Know you like flowers when you're sick so I left them outside your window. I hope they survived the night._

Riley sighed, realizing it was very hard for her to stay mad at him, even though he had no idea that she saw what he did. She groggily got out of bed and sat at the bay window. And as expected, there were a bouquet of assorted flowers outside her window. She opened it and grabbed the bouquet. She took a whiff of the flowers before typing a response to Lucas's message. Once she sent her thank you text, she exited the room with her flowers in her hand.

"You're up early," Topanga noted when she saw her daughter walk into the kitchen. She had to take a second look to confirm that Riley was holding flowers. She furrowed her brows. "Where'd you get the flowers, Riley?"

"Lucas gave them to me," Riley replied with a shrug, sitting down at the table. The expression on her face gave no hint as to whether she was still upset with him or not. She still wasn't sure herself. She appreciated the flowers, he was always such a gentleman, but were flowers enough to override the fact that he and Maya had a 'moment'? "Left them outside my window because when he stopped by I was sleeping."

Topanga smiled, "I knew I liked that Lucas boy for a reason." Topanga held out her hands. "Here, gimme, I'll get you a vase for your lovely flowers."

"Thanks, Mom," Riley replied, carelessly giving the bouquet to Topanga. "I'll take a shower now before I eat some breakfast."

Riley returned to her room to grab her towel before heading to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, hoping to wash her fatigue and worry away.

* * *

 **I apologize that the chapter was shorter than usual, I didn't want to drag this out for too long. Next chapter should be posted in a couple of days. Let me know what you guys think!**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Meant to be up sooner but I celebrated my birthday the other day! Will Riley and Lucas finally talk? Read to find out!**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Lucas couldn't wait to get to school to see Riley, to talk to her. He had been awake since five thirty a.m., his thoughts kept him awake. It also didn't help that he spent most of the night worrying about Riley, since to his knowledge, she was sick. School was still about two hours away, and he needed to see her immediately. Since he was already prepared for the day, he decided to pay her a visit at her apartment after receiving her text that expressed her gratitude for the flowers he'd given her. The text put a smile on his face. He couldn't help it, even kind words of hers in the form of a text message put him in a good mood. He was glad she liked the flowers, but he had no doubt that she wouldn't have.

Lucas smiled to himself when he saw Riley in her bedroom drying her hair with her towel. The window was open, but he tapped on it anyway to make his presence known. He wasn't an animal; he wasn't just about to barge in without her permission.

Riley turned to find the source of the tapping. Instead of being pleasantly surprised like she usually was whenever she had a visitor at her window, she frowned when she saw it was Lucas. Her reaction confirmed to her that as much as she appreciated the flowers he sent her, she still couldn't forgive him for what he'd done. As much as she wanted to forgive him, she couldn't.

She sighed, and motioned Lucas to come inside, because she knew it's what he wanted. If she was being honest, she would've walked over to the window and closed it. But she was too nice to do that.

Riley put her towel away and grabbed her hairbrush before sitting on her bed. She began to brush her hair as Lucas made his way across the room to sit beside her. Riley's heart began to race as she tried to fight back her tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. His proximity was having a negative on her for the first time ever, and she couldn't believe it was happening. His mere presence usually has a calming effect on her, but not this time.

"A-are you okay?" Lucas asked slowly as he watched her staring straight ahead at her bedroom door, continuing to run the brush through her hair robotically.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Riley asked a little too coldly. Half of her hoped that Lucas wouldn't notice, while the other half wanted him to see right through her. But if he had seen her transparency, would she have confronted him anyhow?

"Because Smackle said you're sick?" Lucas raised a brow.

"Oh, right…" Riley's voice trailed off. She scooted away from Lucas and fake coughed, "You shouldn't be sitting too close to me. You might get sick too."

"I'm fine," Lucas insisted, inching closer to her again.

"I'm serious, Lucas," Riley replied sternly. She had never used that tone of voice with him before, and it scared her. There was no doubt in her mind that she had extremely deep feelings for the boy sitting beside her, but before they could move forward, she needed to get over her insecurities. She knew that in order to do that, she would have to actually talk to Lucas about it, but she wasn't ready for that. At least, not yet. For now, all she wanted to do was cry her eyes out. And that's exactly what she did. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and so she let them fall freely. She didn't care that Lucas was there to witness it.

Lucas sighed. He knew her tears weren't a result of her illness. Riley was a trooper when it came to being sick, she never cried about it, no matter how much pain she was in. Lucas knew there was something else bothering her. He asked, "Riley, are you okay?"

"I told you, Lucas, I'm fine," Riley said, turning her head away from him.

"I'm not talking about the flu," Lucas replied softly, tilting his head.

"Me neither," Riley responded. "I'm _fine_."

"You don't look fine," Lucas offered.

"Does anyone look good when they're sick?" Riley asked rhetorically. "Exactly. It's just the flu. I'm fine."

"That's not what I meant, Ri," Lucas's voice softened again. He reached his hand out to her forehead. When his hand and her forehead made contact, Riley quickly swatted his hand away and wiped her face with both hands.

"Riley, you don't feel sick," Lucas said worriedly. What was going on for her to fake her sickness? It was totally unlike her.

"I am," Riley retorted. "Must've gone down since last night."

"I really doubt that," Lucas sighed. He didn't want to argue with the brunette, but he also wanted her to tell him the truth.

"Who are you to tell me how I feel?" Riley snapped.

"Uh, I'm… I'm sorry…" Lucas played with his hands. He sat so close to her, but he had never felt so distant than in that moment. They were usually good at communicating, it was one of his favorite things about the relationship he had with her.

The two sat in silence for a while as Riley tried to control her breathing and stop herself from crying. She couldn't believe she cried in front of him like that, she felt embarrassed. It didn't matter, though, she just wanted out of the awkward situation. Luckily, Lucas spoke up, "Uh, I guess I'll just see you at school, then?"

"I guess," Riley replied.

Without saying another word, Lucas got up and exited through the window. As he climbed down the fire escape, he couldn't help but realize something: the flowers he had given her were nowhere to be found in her room. Did she throw them out?

* * *

"Oh, thank god you're here!" Smackle said as she ran up to Riley at her locker. She gave her a quick squeeze before releasing a sigh of relief, "I was worried you weren't going to show up today."

"I told you I'd show," Riley replied, forcing a smile.

"How are you feeling?" Smackle asked, rubbing Riley's forearm.

"Lucas showed up at the apartment this morning," Riley answered monotonously.

"What happened?" Smackle donned a worried expression on her face.

"I ended up crying," Riley admitted, her voice slightly cracking. No matter how many times she swallowed, she couldn't get rid of the ever growing lump in her throat. "His presence was too much for me, Smackle. He gave me flowers to cheer me up because I was sick but I'm still upset with him. I don't know what to do."

"You guys didn't talk about it then, did you?" Smackle assumed.

"No, it got really awkward and then he left."

"Oh, Riley," Smackle sighed. She pursed her lips. "You need to talk to him."

"Not today," Riley shook her head. "I'm still too fragile."

"Well, you can't avoid him," Smackle pointed out.

"And why not?"

"Because we're all friends and it'll be oddly suspicious," Smackle replied. "I'm sure Lucas already has an idea that something's going on with you. Farkle and Maya have known you forever, they're bound to see right through you. And Zay… he'll figure it out when Lucas tells him. There's no hiding it from everyone, you know."

"Fine, I'll come to lunch, but I'm not talking to him," Riley replied. She didn't want to see him, but Smackle had a point. It didn't need to become a bigger deal than it already was. Not that it was a big deal to begin with. Or so she told herself.

"Riley, you need to," Smackle pleaded.

"I know, and I will, eventually,"

"I'll take what I can get," Smackle replied half-heartedly. She turned to the direction of the sudden sound of heels clacking across the hall. "Look, Maya's coming. You don't want her to see you like this. Please cooperate."

Riley swallowed and then nodded. She took a deep breath and turned to the blonde who was steps away from her locker. Riley plastered a fake smile on her face and greeted her best friend that she never kept secrets from. Until now.

* * *

"What's going on with Riley?" Lucas whispered to Maya during history class. Cory was in the middle of teaching his lesson but had his back to the class the entire time as he wrote down important aspects of the Civil War.

"She's sick, isn't she?" Maya shrugged.

"She's faking it," Lucas replied.

"How do you know?"

"I visited her this morning," Lucas notified the blonde. "She acted strange. I felt her forehead, she seems fine to me. She said her fever had gone down since last night but I'm not buying it."

Maya furrowed her brows, "Huh. I'll talk to her later."

Lucas scoffed, "Yeah, if she lets you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maya asked in an offended tone.

"I mean, if she didn't want to talk to me, what makes you think she'll want to talk to you?"

"Because," Maya replied, "you're a Huckleberry, and I'm her best friend."

"Ha," Lucas mocked. "Good one."

Maya rolled her eyes, turning to face the front and slid down into her seat. She stared at the back of her best friend's head. Something was going on with her and she hadn't bothered to tell the blonde? Riley didn't want to talk to Lucas, and that alone led Maya to the conclusion that there was something really wrong. And she was determined to find out.

As the exchange between Maya and Lucas happened, Riley couldn't help but to scoff. She hadn't made out exactly what had been said, but the thought of them exchanging affectionate words made her nauseous. She raised her hand and didn't wait for her father to call on her when she said, "I need to go pee."

"Alright, sweetheart," Cory nodded.

Riley rushed out of the classroom. The commotion caused Lucas to look up from his textbook and looked at Maya, who had already turned to make eye contact with him. Maya gave him a questioning look, and in response, Lucas shrugged, "Maybe she really does need to go pee?"

"Don't be so naïve, Ranger Rick," Maya crossed her arms. "You did something, didn't you?"

"I did not!"

"Then why'd she run out of the room like that?"

"Ms. Hart, Mr. Friar," Cory cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the two babble mouths. "Can either one of you repeat what I had just said?"

* * *

Lunch time couldn't come any sooner. In the classes leading up to the lunch hour, Maya couldn't come up with any logical reason for Riley to be acting the way she was. She made her way to the cafeteria as quickly as possible, hoping to talk to Riley alone before the others showed up. Unfortunately, by the time she got there, everyone else was already there, too. Maya shook her head when she took her seat. It didn't matter if they were all there. She just wanted to talk to her best friend.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Maya asked, comfortingly rubbing Riley's back. Riley's gaze was focused on the salad in front of her, pushing it around with her fork. The smile usually on the brunette's face was there, but in the form of a lifeless straight line.

Riley looked up and made eye contact with Lucas after processing Maya's question. He offered a faint smile but she responded by quickly averting her gaze elsewhere. She looked down at her salad again when she couldn't find anything interesting to look at. She said, "Fever's gone. Still feeling sick, though."

As Maya continued to rub her best friend's back, she quickly shot Lucas a knowing look. Riley was lying right through her teeth and she had no idea that Maya knew she was faking it. Boy, was Riley going to get an earful from Maya when she finally gets the chance to confront her alone.

The group began to make small talk, and after a couple of minutes, barely having eaten her salad, Riley got up and left.

"What's up with her?" Zay asked, pointing his fork in the direction of her departure. "She doesn't seem sick."

Smackle shrugged, "Didn't you hear her? She said her fever's gone."

"Trust, she's not sick nor was she ever," Lucas said coldly, ignoring Smackle's contribution. Smackle furrowed her brows and sought comfort from Farkle, who invited her to lay her head on his shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Zay asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," Lucas replied nonchalantly. "She doesn't want to talk to me, so."

"And apparently, she doesn't want to talk to me either," Maya added, pushing her lunch tray away from her. She lost her appetite after having that short lived conversation with the brunette.

"Huh. That's strange," Zay commented with a shrug.

Lucas waited for the others to engage in their own conversations before replying to Zay, "It is. But at least we have practice after school. It'll keep my mind off her."

"Yeah, and we all know that she's always on your mind," Zay nudged him in the ribs.

"Shut up, man," Lucas rolled his eyes. He couldn't even enjoy this playful banter because he was too caught up on Riley and what was going on with her.

"I'm just saying. We have a game tomorrow and I need you to be focused. None of what happened last game."

Lucas suddenly palmed his face before replying, "Shit! We have a game tomorrow! I completely forgot."

"Dude, she's got you whipped," Zay shook his head playfully. "Just focus less on her and more on the game, okay?"

* * *

 **Huh. What'd you guys think? Kind of a filler chapter but I promise the next one will be much more eventful.**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Just a warning, there is underage drinking in this chapter. Some of you may not approve of it but hey, it does happen. Also, I live in Canada and so the legal drinking age here is 19 so I don't think it's too far of a stretch since they're around 15-17. Just thought I'd put a little disclaimer here just in case.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

There was no study session at the bakery that night. Zay and Lucas had basketball practice, and Riley wasn't going to show up either way. So when Maya couldn't find Riley anywhere in the school after the final bell, she headed straight to the Matthews' apartment.

"What's going on with you, Riles?" Maya asked, crawling through the bay window. She spotted Riley lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She seemed troubled.

Riley quickly sat up right, mumbling to herself, "I thought I locked that."

"You did not," Maya shook her head. She took a seat at the edge of the bed. "So what's going on? I know you're not sick, Lucas told me."

Riley scoffed at the mention of the Texan's name. Of course Lucas would've told Maya, because apparently they were a blossoming couple in the brunette's mind. Oh, how wrong she was.

"Riley, did something happen between you two?" Maya was quick to jump to conclusions. There was no way that Riley would shut Lucas out the way she did that morning.

 _No, but I'm sure something happened between you two_ , Riley thought harshly. She took a deep breath then shook her head no.

"Then what's wrong?" Maya pressed.

Riley felt the repressed anger stir inside her. She didn't want to blow, but it had to be done. She stared blankly at the blonde, "I'm mad at you, Maya!"

"What did I do?!"

"You know what you did," Riley narrowed her eyes at Maya. She huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

"No, I actually don't," Maya replied truthfully. "And you can't get mad at me for something I didn't do! I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Riles. Can you just drop this act and tell me what's really going on? I'm worried about you."

"Oh, please," Riley scoffed. "You know exactly what you're talking about. Are you really worried about me? Or worried that you got caught?"

"Got caught?" Maya furrowed her brows. She threw her arms in the air out of frustration. "What are you talking about, Riles?'

"Nothing! Can you just leave me alone?" Riley yelled. She needed the blonde out of her bedroom so she could give herself a chance to breathe. She hadn't realized how exhausting it was being upset with two people she cared a lot about. She almost felt guilty. But she knew she couldn't feel that way because they were supposed to feel guilty, not her! And the fact that neither of them have owned up to it yet just told Riley were they stood.

Maya didn't bother trying to argue with the brunette, she knew that when her best friend got like this, it was best to grant her wishes. So she left. But she wasn't going to give up. Riley may seem mad at Maya, but Maya wasn't mad at Riley. And that's all that mattered to Maya.

The following day was similar to the previous one. Riley went to school and went to her classes. She even joined her friends at lunch even though she didn't say a word and just pushed around the food on her plate. Maya tried to talk to her throughout the day, but Riley would just brush her off.

Maya wasn't going to give up. No matter how bad of an argument they had gotten into (would this really count as one? It was very one-sided on Riley's part); they both knew that it would eventually work itself out. So Maya skipped last period and waited outside Riley's classroom.

As Riley exited her final class of the day, she felt a tug on her wrist. It was Maya, who smiled sheepishly, earning her an unamused look from Riley.

"Let go," Riley said sternly. She had a pretty long day, and she wasn't in the mood to be dealing with the blonde.

"No," Maya replied. She tightened her grip on her best friend's wrist and dragged her down the hall, down the stairs to the main floor, and then to the gymnasium. She led her up to the middle of the bleachers and finally released the brunette's wrist.

"Maya, what are we doing here?" Riley groaned angrily.

"We're here to watch the game, silly," Maya replied.

"I don't want to be here," Riley groaned.

"Well, I don't care," Maya shrugged. "You may be mad at me for whatever reason, but I don't care. We're here to support our friends, Riles."

"Friends?" Riley scoffed. "What friends?"

"Zay and Lucas?"

"Fine. But I'm not here for Lucas," Riley rolled her eyes. "I'm here for my friend, Zay."

* * *

Lucas was well aware that he had done something to upset Riley. Like Maya, he wasn't exactly sure what he did, but he was sure he did something. If he hadn't, Riley wouldn't be making such a big deal out of nothing. So instead of focusing on the fact that Riley was undeniably mad at him, he decided he was going to focus on the game.

He wanted to make it up to her, whatever he did, and what better way than to complete another task on the list? He knew it would cheer her up. And he wasn't only doing it for her, but he was going to win the game for himself. Being caught up on what a younger Riley had thought about him and Maya, he forgot something important: his feelings for Riley. And after having talked to Farkle and Maya about his worries, he was sure there was no way he was going to lose Riley.

As Lucas and the team did their warm ups, Zay jogged over to him and patted him on the back. After Lucas had retrieved the ball that was passed to him, he turned to Zay with his eyebrows furrowed, "What's up?"

"I _really_ don't want to ruin your momentum right now," Zay began, his eyes scanning the crowd of students that flooded the bleachers. "But I just thought you might like to know that Riley's there with the rest of them."

Lucas followed Zay's gaze, eventually landing on the girl he had hoped would show up. Whether she showed up or not, he knew he had to win the game for her. And because she actually was present, Lucas's heartbeat started to quicken. But he couldn't get his nerves get the best of him. Not this time.

Throughout the duration of the game, Lucas was able to play really well—as well as Zay had seen him during practice the previous day. Lucas barely even looked towards the crowd to check if Riley was still there, because he knew she was. He could feel it. He just focused on winning the game, and moving forward with Riley.

It was Abigail Adams' ball in the last minute. The teams were tied at 68 points each. Luckily, Lucas had got a hold of the ball thanks to Zay, and sprinted to the other side of the court. With five seconds remaining, Lucas charged towards the net and jumped to dunk the ball—just as the game-ending buzzer rang.

The crowd in the stands cheered when they realized that their home team had won by two points. Lucas's teammates gathered around him and picked him up, celebrating him for winning the game. As he was held up in the air, he looked out into the cheering crowd. And suddenly, his win seemed more like a loss. She wasn't supposed to leave. She was supposed to stay and she was supposed to be happy and congratulate him for not only the win, but for completing yet another task. But she was nowhere to be found.

The roar of the crowd got louder and Lucas decided to at least look happy for the sake of everyone in the gym. He forced a smile and pumped a fist in the air to celebrate the team's victory against one of the most notorious teams in the district.

Once Lucas was back on the ground and his teammates headed for the locker room, Zay noticed the unenthusiastic look on his best friend's face. "She's gone, isn't she?" he assumed.

Lucas sighed. Zay didn't need a verbal answer to answer his question. That unruly sigh had said it all.

"Okay, let me help you out a bit," Zay stroked his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. His face lit up and then he snapped his fingers. "Eureka! I know what to do!"

"Eureka?" Lucas looked at Zay unamused. "Did Farkle teach you that word?"

"Smackle did, actually," Zay replied with a light chuckle. "But that's not the point. I have an idea. It's Friday night. Why don't we throw a victory party at my place? My parents are gone for the weekend. Maybe you can invite Josh and he can bring some drinks?"

"What in the hell does that have anything to do with me getting to talk to Riley?" Lucas lightly hit Zay in the chest.

"Because she'll be there," Zay said simply. He made it seem as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And how do you know that? She walked out of here as soon as the game finished!" Lucas replied with a frustrated tone.

"Maya will bring her. I know that Riley isn't really happy with Maya right now either, but Maya still has a stronger effect on her than you. Sorry to say, but it's true. Why do you think she stayed for the game?"

"To see me, perhaps?" Lucas pointed out.

"Maybe so, but I'm just saying. Riley will be there. And since she's not very social right now, she'll probably be in a corner or something not enjoying herself," Zay shrugged. "And with Josh there as well, assuming he shows up, it will keep Maya busy from trying to reconcile with Sugar."

"That's actually not such a bad idea at all," Lucas said, patting Zay's back before bolting to the locker room.

* * *

Zay had informed his friends and teammates about the spontaneous party. Word quickly got around because people he wasn't too familiar with showed up at his door. Josh also showed up at his door with a bag of drinks.

As Zay had predicted, Maya showed up—with Riley in tow. Maya practically jumped on Josh's back when she spotted him pouring Vodka into a cup, leaving Riley alone to wander the party on her own. Riley didn't want to be at the party, and as mad as she was at Maya, she didn't want to not attend a party with her. Riley mostly attended parties to make sure her friends didn't do anything stupid, but since it was Zay's party, she didn't worry too much. So she loosened up a little, but she still didn't feel like partying per se, she just wanted to stand in the sidelines and watch as others swayed their hips to the music and downed alcohol.

"Hey man, did you want a beer?" Zay asked when he bumped into Lucas. Lucas had seen Maya earlier and had been searching for Riley ever since.

"No, not right now," Lucas declined, frantically searching the crowd. "I need to find Riley."

"What for?" Zay was obviously starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. His speech began to slur.

"I need to talk to her about something," Lucas replied, knowing that Zay was getting too drunk to remember their conversation from earlier. "And I'd rather not be drunk when I do."

"Suit yourself," Zay shrugged, then chugged the rest of his beer.

"Have you seen her, by the way?" Lucas asked, leaning in closer to Zay due to the loud music.

"No, but it's a fairly small apartment. I'm sure you'll bump into her eventually," Zay replied before walking away.

"Thanks for the help, I guess?" Lucas said unsurely.

"Anytime, man!" Zay said as he walked backwards into the crowd. He raised his beer, "Told you this was a great idea!"

As Lucas navigated his way through the crowd, he spotted Josh and made his way over to him. It didn't surprise to see Maya attempting to have a drink with Josh. Lucas gripped Josh's shoulder to stop him from getting away. "Hey, Josh! Have you seen Riley?"

"Sorry, who?!" Josh leaned in closer to Lucas, careful to keep his beer steady in his hand.

"Riley, your niece!" Lucas replied.

"Ohh!" A look of realization took over Josh's features. "Last I saw her; she was in the kitchen."

"Okay, thanks man," Lucas said before going to the kitchen. And lo and behold, Riley was leaning against the island as she stuffed chips in her mouth. Lucas let out a sigh of relief because he feared that Riley would have left the party. But surprisingly, Zay was right. Riley was still at the party, keeping herself company instead of mingling with her classmates while Maya was in the other room trying to get to Josh.

The kitchen cleared out when the song in the living room changed into a crowd favorite song. It didn't take Lucas very long to realize that the only people standing in that room were him and Riley. Riley was oblivious to his presence, her back turned to him as she downed a soda instead of whatever alcohol Josh had brought.

Lucas loudly cleared his throat, startling Riley in the process. She turned around and when she saw Lucas standing there, she dropped the bag of chips on the floor and raced out of the kitchen. Lucas closed his eyes, took a deep breath and repeatedly hit himself on the forehead. He then followed Riley to wherever she was headed.

Unfortunately for him, Riley had ran off into the only bathroom in the apartment. Lucas leaned his forearms against the bathroom door and lightly banged his head against it. He couldn't believe she was avoiding him. It made him feel terrible. Whatever he did, it must have been really bad if she was now avoiding him altogether.

"Ri, you can't hide in there forever," Lucas said. "I'll wait out here all night if I have to!"

On the other side of the door, Riley sat on the floor against it. Her knees were pulled up to her face as she tried to stop the tears. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard other voices outside arguing with Lucas about forming a line outside the bathroom.

She stayed in there for a couple of more minutes until she no longer heard his voice. She knew it was risky because he still could've been waiting outside, but she needed to get out. There was no way she was going to talk to Lucas about feelings at a party celebrating the basketball team's victory. Riley wasn't sure why Lucas was so caught up on her instead of celebrating with his teammates—and probably Maya. She shuddered at the thought.

Riley was in the clear as she exited the bathroom and saw no sign of Lucas anywhere in her proximity. She figured that now was best to leave the party. She knew her friends would understand if she left early, she didn't really want to be there in the first place.

Riley had been to Zay's apartment multiple times, but with the dim lighting and the huge crowd of people, she couldn't exactly navigate her way through the place the way she had earlier, when the lights were significantly brighter and fewer people were in attendance. She panicked when she heard Lucas's voice call after her again. And as she hastily walked away from the quickly increasing sound of his voice, she faced a dead end.

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath. There was no escaping him now.

* * *

 **8 tasks have now been completed! Only 2 more to go!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**I'm back! Sorry for my absence, I didn't expect to be away for so long. I had exams that lasted halfway through April and literally after my exams I was scheduled extra shifts at work. I've been busy, but I'm trying to make time for writing again. It was kind of tough writing this chapter and I haven't written in a while so I'm kinda rusty but I hope you all like it anyway!**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

"Riley," Lucas said.

Riley slowly turned around, mentally scolding herself for being caught like this. She stared at him with blank eyes. No matter how vulnerable she was at the moment, she couldn't let him see that. She tried to escape, but to no avail, as Lucas was quick to back her into the corner, both hands holding onto the wall that enclosed the brunette.

"Can we talk?" Lucas asked. He sighed. "Please?" Never in a million years did he expect to beg for Riley Matthews' attention.

Riley shook her head and stared at her feet. She softly replied, "I don't think this is the right time or place to do it." Silence dawned on them, with the pounding of the music drowning their thoughts.

"Then when is the right time, Riley?" Lucas pursed his lips, his eyes shooting daggers at her. She didn't look at him, but she could feel his gaze burn into her. It was painfully obvious that he really needed to talk to her. The tone of his voice said it all. And as mad as Riley was, she didn't like it when he was mad at her.

Riley closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. He was right. They needed to talk. She owed him that. When Riley opened her eyes again, she looked at him and reluctantly nodded, "Fine, we'll talk."

"Really?" Lucas relaxed his muscles, not expecting Riley to give in so easily. He was expecting to put up a fight. It was Riley, after all. She always stood her ground. "Can we go somewhere private?"

"Sure," Riley shrugged.

Lucas led Riley to Zay's room, making sure that Riley followed him all the way there. He feared that she would've escaped if given the chance.

The two sat at the edge of the bed. They lingered in silence before Riley demanded, "Talk."

"Um, okay…" Lucas's voice trailed off. "I know you're upset with me for something I did. But I want to talk about something else. I've been meaning to talk to you about this for the past couple of days but I couldn't build up the courage to because… Your diary. You said you're an open book right?"

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"You…" Lucas looked down at his hands before returning his gaze to her. "You thought me and Maya liked each other. You doubted my feelings for you, which in part probably made you doubt your own feelings."

Riley took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I never doubted my feelings for you, Lucas."

"But you doubted mine, right?" Lucas pressed.

"Yes," Riley said simply, opening her eyes to stare into his emerald green ones. She could feel tears well in her eyes, she was embarrassed that she doubted his feelings at some point, especially when all he ever did was prove how much he liked her. What thirteen-year-old boy would rent out a white horse in New York to impress some girl? Lucas would.

"Okay," Lucas breathed. "That's all I needed to know."

"That's it?"

"Yup, that's all I needed to talk to you about," Lucas nodded, pursing his lips.

"Well, this is definitely going in a different direction than I expected," Riley breathed. She couldn't help but feel guilty about the diary entries he read and broke down in tears. How could she have forgotten about those entries?

"Riley, what's wrong?" Lucas asked. "Why are you crying?"

"I feel guilty, Lucas," Riley admitted in between breaths.

"About what?"

"The reason why I avoided you, the reason I couldn't talk to you lately… I saw you and Maya the other day. At lunch. Holding hands." Riley paused to catch her breath and wipe her tears. "The stuff I wrote in my diary about a couple years back. It was true. I managed to get over it over the years when you showed me how much you liked me and not her. But for some reason seeing you two together just brought all those bad feelings back. I thought that you were seeing each other behind my back."

"Riley, it's always been you, you know that," Lucas sighed. He hated how insecure she felt, but she had to know that Lucas and Maya are just friends and the only thing they had in common was their love for the brunette.

"Yes, I know, it's just…" Riley sighed. "You two seem like you could become a couple. In fact, everyone in the seventh and eighth grade rooted for you two and not me. I guess all of that got to me."

"I don't get why you'd trust their word against mine," Lucas shook his head. "I've never had feelings for Maya. All we do is annoy each other to no end, and I know most of that is because Maya resents me because you and I have this thing going on."

Riley bit her lip, "I know, but you know how insecure I get."

"I understand that Riley, but you have to trust me," Lucas replied. "Okay?"

Riley stared into Lucas's eyes for a couple of seconds before answering, "Okay."

"See when I read the entries I had lots of bad thoughts about it and I talked to Farkle and then Maya," Lucas explained. "They assured me that you like me and they know I like you. What you saw happen between me and Maya was nothing, she was just comforting me about you. Riley, can't you see that it doesn't matter what you think of me? I want you. I won the game for you, Ri! It was a long shot because I was scared you weren't interested anymore, but seeing you at the game, I knew I still stood a chance."

"Look, Lucas. No matter what, I'll have my doubts. You know I have my insecurities. But it doesn't change my feelings for you, it never will. If you and Maya ever did have anything going on—and thank god there's not—I'd put aside my feelings and put yours and Maya before mine. At the time I thought it was what you wanted."

"But it's not, Riley. What I want is you," Lucas assured her.

"And I know that," Riley nodded, releasing a soft smile as Lucas wiped away remaining tears that streaked Riley's cheeks. "I'm being a pain in the ass and asking you to do a list of things just so I go out with you. If you didn't want me, I know you wouldn't be doing these things."

Lucas sat there with a small smile on his face. He reached for Riley's hand, encasing it in his. Riley relaxed as Lucas caressed her hand with his thumb. He said softly, "I'd do anything for you."

"Are you sure about that?" Riley composed herself, trying to lighten the mood.

"Of course," Lucas replied.

"The last two remaining tasks," Riley breathed. "You really going to do that?"

Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, Ri. It'll be really hard for me, but like I said, anything for you."

Riley sniffled, lifting his hand up to her face. "How did I get so lucky to deserve you?"

Lucas smiled and shook his head with a soft chuckle.

"Congratulations on the win," Riley said, moving over towards him to close the space between them. Lucas wrapped his arm around her waist and she nuzzled her head into his neck. "I appreciate you winning it for me on my behalf."

"Of course," Lucas replied, taking in the scent of her hair. "Two more tasks before you're officially my girlfriend."

"Should we go back out to the party?" Riley suggested. "I know you probably haven't been enjoying yourself too much. You know, with looking for me and all."

"I'm enjoying myself now just fine," Lucas said, pulling her even closer.

"I mean it, Lucas," Riley pulled away gently, staring at him. "Ever since I got here I was miserable, and now that you and I have talked things out, I want to have fun. Can we go dance, please?"

Lucas could never say no to Riley, and as much as he wanted to stay in Zay's room with her, he did want to dance with her.

* * *

The two exited Zay's room, only to be met by their genius friends.

"Huh, what do we have here, beloved?" Smackle, with her arms crossed over her chest, said to Farkle.

"I see these two have made up," Farkle raised a brow. "What'd you do in there, huh?"

"We just talked, Farkle," Riley insisted.

"Just talked, huh?" Smackle wiggled her eyebrows at the unsuspecting couple.

"Yes," Lucas confirmed. "I think you two have had too much to drink. You two should sober up, stay in Zay's room."

"You know, I am feeling kinda sleepy," Smackle scratched her head, then pulled on Farkle's arm. The two headed into the newly vacant bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

"I can't with those two," Riley chuckled and shook her head. "We're not even dating yet, and they assume we did more than just talk."

"They're drunk, Ri," Lucas reminded her. "Even geniuses can be stupid under the influence of alcohol. You know if they were sober they never would have made those comments."

"That's true," Riley shrugged.

Riley and Lucas made their way to the kitchen to grab some non-alcoholic beverages before they headed out to the dance floor. Riley was finally able to enjoy herself, laughing at Lucas's embarrassing and goofy dance moves. Lucas purposely danced bad because he knew it would make Riley smile, and seeing her smile was one of his favorite things in the world. He was in a good mood too, as he was relieved to be back on track.

* * *

 **I apologize for the shorter than normal chapter but I felt that Rucas making up should be a chapter all on its own. I tried to make it longer with other scenes but it didn't feel right. Anyway, you guys won't have to wait too long for the next chapter. I hope to get the next one up by next week the latest. Let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**You didn't think I gave up on this, did you?**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

"You sure you'll get home okay?" Lucas raised his eyebrows in concern at Riley. Everyone had left the party, and it was just the clique six left, plus Josh. Everything went as expected, nothing broke and everyone had a good time, especially since there was alcohol courtesy of Josh. And Riley and Lucas were finally able to enjoy themselves after resolving their miscommunication.

Josh approached the two as he kept Maya steady beside him. He assured Lucas, "She'll be fine, I'm taking these two home. Don't you worry your little cowboy brain of yours."

"What does that even mean?" Lucas asked with a confused look on his face. "Are you sure you're sober enough to take them home?"

"Pretty stable," Josh confirmed. "But my mouth has no filter."

"It never does," Riley commented.

Riley watched as her crush and her uncle conversed. She was glad that they were finally getting along, it made things much easier for everyone. She smiled softly to herself. The boys were quick to notice.

"What?" Both Josh and Lucas asked.

Riley shook her head and chuckled. She waved her hand in front of her, "Oh, nothing. I just think it's adorable that you two are friends now."

The boys rolled their eyes at Riley's comment. She playfully punched both of them in the arm. She said to Lucas, "Now that you know I'll get home okay, will you?"

Lucas smiled, "You don't have to worry about me. I'm gonna stay the night."

"Okay good," Riley replied.

"Okay, let's get going," Josh said, leading Maya to the door.

"Text me when you get home," Lucas told Riley.

"Of course," Riley smiled. "I had a really good time tonight. You know I'm not a huge fan of parties but this one was fun."

"Well, I mean, you had fun _after_ we made up," Lucas pointed out. "So I get it. I feel the same. I hated it when you ignored me. Thought you were losing feelings."

"Losing feelings for you? No," Riley shook her head playfully. "I was the one who thought you had a thing for my best friend."

Riley and Lucas both shuddered at the thought.

"Glad we're on the same page then," Riley said.

"Me too," Lucas said. He leaned in to give Riley a quick peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ri."

"Hey, I saw that!" Josh called out, pointing a finger towards Lucas. "We may be friends now Friar, but I'm still protective of my niece!"

Riley and Lucas laughed at Josh's reaction. Riley hugged Lucas and buried her face in his chest, inhaling his familiar musky scent. "Goodnight, Lucas."

* * *

"Lucas, get up!" Zay threw a pillow towards his bed, where Lucas slept. After everyone left his apartment the previous night, Zay spent some time cleaning, because as expected, everyone made a mess. Zay didn't mind, though, he was just glad that everyone enjoyed the spontaneous party. When he decided he was pooped out and would clean the rest of the apartment in the morning, he headed to his room, only to be greeted by Lucas's sleeping body in his bed. So Zay slept in his parents' room.

When Zay got no response from his best friend, he walked over to his closet to grab his basketball, then threw it at him.

"Ow, what the hell?!" Lucas awoke from his slumber, sitting upright on the bed, his right hand rubbing his head and his left cradling the ball. "What was that for?! I was enjoying my sleep!"

"Is it because you were dreaming about a certain pretty brown eyed brunette?" Zay teased, earning him a ball to the chest, which he successfully caught.

"Whatever, man," Lucas mumbled. "It was a nice sleep."

"Okay, I don't care," Zay replied. "Now will you get up and help me finish cleaning this place?"

"Why? I want to go back to sleep," Lucas said, plopping his head back onto the pillow.

"Because if you help me, I have two tickets to tonight's Knicks versus Mavs game," Zay replied.

Lucas once again sat up, evidently interested in Zay's offer. Lucas narrowed his eyes, "You're bluffing."

Zay responded by walking up to Lucas and showing him his phone, which showed a confirmation email of two tickets to tonight's basketball game.

"Oh my god, why didn't you tell me you had these sooner?!" Lucas gasped, grabbing the phone from Zay and looking through the confirmation. "These seats are great!"

"I got them this morning," Zay shrugged. "My parents felt bad for leaving me alone for the weekend while they're at a convention, so they bought me these."

"Let's get cleaning then!" Lucas jumped out of bed.

* * *

"Maya, wake up!" Riley shook the sleeping blonde beside her. It was already noon and Riley had just woken up. She hadn't expected to sleep in, but due to last night's events, her body needed the rest. She couldn't wait to wake up, mostly because she wanted to talk things out with Maya.

"What are you doing in my bed, Riles?" Maya said groggily as she rubbed her eyes. She yawned, then sat up beside the brunette.

"You're in my bed, Peaches," Riley said. "There was no way Uncle Josh and I were going to drag you back to your place."

"Josh?" Maya's eyes lit up.

"Yeah," Riley laughed. "You were all over him at the party."

"Wait a minute," Maya narrowed her eyes. She attacked Riley with a hug, "You're talking to me!"

"I am," Riley nodded. "I'm no longer upset with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I talked to Lucas."

"About?" Maya narrowed her eyes at the brunette.

"The reason why I was so upset with you two," Riley sighed. She didn't want to remember what happened the past couple of days, but she needed to apologize to Maya. "I caught you two having what it seemed like a moment, but I totally read it the wrong way. Turns out you were comforting him because he thought I doubted his feelings for me. Stupid diary."

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually…" Maya's voice trailed off. "Why didn't you tell me about your doubts at the time?"

"I didn't want to start anything," Riley shrugged. "Just kept it to myself and let it out in my diary."

"Oh, little Riles," Maya wrapped her arm around Riley, resting her head on her best friend's shoulder. "Ranger Rick is not my type, and I know I'm not his. And even after he showed me what you wrote, I still knew that you wouldn't give up on him. You're perfect for each other."

"I'm sorry for overreacting about what I saw," Riley said. "Totally forgot that you're completely head over heels for Uncle Josh."

"Hey!" Maya protested, pushing Riley off the bed.

"But I'm also glad that you and Lucas somewhat tolerate each other now," Riley said, her head peeking out from behind the bed.

"Anything for my Riles," Maya beamed. She then clutched her head, "Oh, I feel a hangover coming."

"Probably shouldn't have drank too much," Riley said, returning to sit beside Maya on her bed.

"I was trying to keep up with Josh," Maya closed her eyes. "Bad idea."

Riley agreed.

Maya opened her eyes again, letting her head fall into Riley's lap. She asked, "What about you, did you have any drinks?"

"No," Riley shook her head. "I had things to deal with, and I didn't want any interfering factors."

"So I'm assuming Lucas didn't drink either?"

"Didn't seem like it," Riley shrugged.

"You guys are no fun," Maya pouted. "I heard the geniuses drank."

"That they did," Riley confirmed. "They're so cute."

"Okay, can we like go get something to cure this hangover?" Maya asked.

Riley nodded, and the two headed sluggishly to the kitchen. They were greeted by Cory, who was making scrambled eggs. "Good morning girls."

"Dad, it's noon," Auggie corrected his father from the couch in the living room.

"I know that," Cory said. He whispered, "But they don't." He cleared his throat and returned his gaze back to his daughter and her best friend. "So, wild night, huh?"

"What do you mean, Dad?" Riley scratched her head. "We just went over to Zay's after the game."

"Yeah, uh huh," Cory scoffed. "Small get together right?" Riley and Maya both nodded slowly. "I know it was a party."

"How do you know that?" Riley's eyes grew wide.

"Afternoon, kiddos," Josh said from behind the girls. He looked like he'd been awake for hours now, and had just gotten out of the shower. He poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table.

"Uncle Josh!" Riley widened her eyes, startled.

"He stayed the night," Cory said. "Told us everything."

"You suck," Riley huffed, sitting down beside her uncle while Maya sat in front of her. Usually Maya would boggle over Josh, as she had done the night before, but her headache was so bad that she had to put her head down on the table.

"After I dropped you guys off, I was tired too. Couldn't make it back to my dorm so I just slept on the couch," Josh shrugged.

"And you told Dad about the party?" Riley pressed.

"Your father isn't as boring or strict as you think he is, Riley," Josh laughed. "He's had his share of high school parties."

Riley turned to her dad with raised eyebrows. Cory shook his head, refusing to answer his daughter's unspoken questions. There was no way he was going to tell his teenage daughter about the parties he had gone to back in the day.

"Most of them ended with him and Topanga making out," Josh smirked, then drank from his coffee as he enjoyed watching Riley and Maya make disgusted faces while Cory shot him a disapproving look.

* * *

"What the hell are you wearing, man?!" Zay asked. He and Lucas were hanging at the mall before they headed to Madison Square Garden for the game, and he left to go to the bathroom for five minutes and came back to Lucas wearing a royal blue Knicks shirt. "I don't care that we are in New York. We are from Austin, Texas! The Mavs are our team!"

Lucas smirked as he listened to his best friend go on a rant about why he shouldn't be wearing the shirt. Lucas admittedly was uncomfortable in the shirt as well, because he felt like he was betraying his beloved team. Once Zay finished his tangent, Lucas reassured him, "Trust me, I'm still rooting for the Mavs, that much hasn't changed."

"Then why the shirt?" Zay cocked an eyebrow, waiting for a legit explanation.

"I can't tell you," Lucas replied. "Well, not yet, anyway. It's a long story."

Zay stared at Lucas with a blank expression. Seconds later, Zay shook his head. He thought about pressing him for information, but quickly decided against it. He knew Lucas would tell him about it eventually, so it didn't bother him that much.

"By the way," Lucas raised his index finger. "I want to get poster paper. Let's make signs for the game!"

"Are you serious?" Zay was unamused. All he wanted to do was head to the venue for the game, but instead it's being delayed because Lucas wants to make signs. How juvenile. "What are you, like ten?"

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun!" Lucas encouraged. "We've never been to a Mavs vs. Knicks game before. Gotta show our team spirit!"

"First you're wearing a Knicks shirt and now you want to make a sign for them?" Zay crossed his arms over his chest. "It's not like they're going to see them."

"No," Lucas agreed, "but fans will. What if we get put on the jumbotron? You've always wanted to be on one of those!"

Zay stroked his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. Lucas had a point with the jumbotron. As a child, it was always Zay's dream to be featured on the giant screen at sports games. It was a little silly, but he thought it was the coolest thing, and he still did, many years later.

"Fine," Zay sighed. "Let's go get some poster paper."

When Lucas and Zay had finished their signs on the floor in the middle of the mall, they made their way to Madison Square Garden. As they rode the subway, Lucas held his phone in his hand. He thought about messaging Riley, to make sure she was watching the game tonight. But he ultimately decided against it. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd be watching. It was the Knicks, for crying out loud! She never missed a game. And if she did, she was sure to catch the first rerun.

Lucas opened his phone and opened his and Riley's conversation. He stared at the screen, and he couldn't help but gaze affectionately at her contact photo. It was of her holding a bunny and making a kissy face at it. He had taken that photo of her when he and his friends were at a pet store when Maya needed to buy food for her pet ferret. Lucas thought Riley looked adorable in the photo, even more than the bunny she was holding. Everyone knew Lucas had a thing for animals. And everyone knew he had a bigger thing for Riley Matthews.

"Dude," Zay said, snapping Lucas out of his gaze. Zay looked at his best friend's phone screen and chuckled. "Staring at her photo?"

"Psh, no," Lucas tried to play it off. "I was gonna text her, to make sure she'll be watching the game."

"We're underground, Luke," Zay deadpanned. "There's no service. Besides, we all know she'll be watching the game. Ooh! Is that why you want to get on the jumbotron? So she can see you on TV?"

"No," Lucas said sternly.

Zay eyed him, "Yeah, okay."

"No, I swear," Lucas replied. "She doesn't even know I'm going to the game. I just told her we were hanging out."

"Well, I think she'll be more pissed than happy to see you on TV," Zay said.

"And why is that?"

"Because you didn't take her to the game," Zay laughed. "She likes the Knicks more than she likes you."

"And I like the Mavs more than the Knicks," Lucas looked down at the royal blue shirt with the orange team logo on it. As much as he disliked the Knicks, he was a fan of blue shirts, so that lessened the sting of wearing a rival team shirt just a little.

* * *

 **I can't believe it's been like two months since I last updated. So sorry, life got in the way again and I was just dealing with a lot. I just want to let you guys know that I'm not giving up on this fic. We're so close to the end and I've finally found time to write again. However, if you don't see me updating, feel free to send me a message and demand me to update, LOL. Let me know what you guys think! I've missed you.**


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Maya stayed the day at the Matthews' apartment. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Riley now that Riley was no longer mad at her. It also didn't hurt that Josh stayed to spend time with Auggie. Josh was busy playing video games with his nephew, and so Maya just watched from the kitchen table as she and Riley did some homework.

"Riles," Maya sighed, her chin resting in her hand, which was propped up on the table. She had given up on her homework hours ago, and had turned her attention solely on Josh. She thought it was cute that he let Auggie win most of the games they played.

"Hm?" Riley looked up from her textbook, turning to Maya. She smirked when realized the blonde's gaze as on her uncle. "Oh. You haven't even opened your books."

"Guess you could say I'm a little distracted," Maya replied, not daring to take her eyes off Josh.

"A little?" Riley raised her brow.

"A lot," Maya corrected with a satisfied sigh.

Riley checked the time on her phone, it was almost six and the basketball game started soon. She sent Lucas a quick text about how the Knicks were going to crush the Mavs. She didn't expect him to reply, though, she knew that he was busy hanging with Zay.

"Alright, boys," Riley grabbed her books and moved to the living room. "Game over."

"And why is that, niece?" Josh asked.

"Uncle Josh," Auggie nudged. He whispered, "Knicks game." Anyone who knew Riley knew that the only way to get on her bad side was to get in the way of her and the Knicks.

"Here you go," Josh's eyes widened as he grabbed the remote to change the channel.

"Thank you," Riley smiled. She plopped down on the couch in between her brother and her uncle. "God, the Mavs suck. I'm so pumped for this game."

"You staying to watch?" Maya finally got up from her seat and sat on the further end of the couch beside Josh.

Josh played with his hands as he tried to sound casual, "Yeah, yeah I guess." But in all honesty, Josh wasn't planning to leave the Matthews' apartment until Maya was gone.

"I'm gonna go make us some popcorn!" Auggie announced, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

* * *

"Hey, Riley, do you know what Lucas is doing tonight?" Maya asked, her eyes glued to the screen and her mouth on the floor. It was halftime and Riley had focused her attention back to her homework. She needed to get her mind off of the game for a little bit, as she was getting frustrated that the Knicks weren't playing their usual best.

"Uh, he told me he was going out with Zay," Riley said with a shrug, scribbling in her notebook. "I texted him about the game earlier but he didn't answer."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Beats me," Riley said. "Why, is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Josh chuckled. Maya joined him.

"Wait, what's so funny?" Riley scrunched her face.

"Well, they're at the game," Maya's laugh grew louder. "And on TV."

"What?" Riley shot her head up and looked on the screen. She began to laugh, "Oh my god!"

On the TV screen, the camera was focused on Lucas in a Knicks shirt who was cheering his head off and doing a silly dance at the same time. Zay was seen sitting down in his Mavs shirt, holding a sign to hide his embarrassment.

If Riley wasn't already surprised enough, Lucas then proceeded to hold up a sign that had a poorly drawn purple cat on it that read: _For my soon-to-be girlfriend, Riley Matthews!_ She couldn't help but laugh, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

Maya and Josh exchanged looks, then looked at Riley. They noticed the glow on the brunette's face. "Huh, he must really like you."

"Yeah," Riley smiled, her eyes glued to the screen even long after Lucas was no longer on it. "I think he does."

"The boy's a dedicated Mavs fan, what the hell is he doing?" Josh laughed.

"Putting his pride aside to prove his feelings for Riley?" Maya offered.

Josh shot Riley a look. Riley gave him a sheepish smile. She grabbed onto his arm, "Can I be honest with you?"

"Well, yes, you can," Josh said. "I'd prefer if you were."

"Riles, are you sure?" Maya asked. She knew how important this whole Lucas thing was to Riley, and she didn't want people knowing about the list.

"Maya, he just completed the second last task," Riley pointed out. "I think I can tell Uncle Josh at this point."

"Tell me what?" Josh asked. "What task? What's going on, niece?"

"You thought it was weird that Lucas asked you to hang out, right?" Riley began.

Josh nodded, "I did, but I mean it was a matter of time before Lucas got tired of my attitude towards him." He laughed to himself. "Why, what did you do?"

"There's this list," Riley said, "that I made. For Lucas. Last week he asked me to be his girlfriend—"

"Finally!" Josh threw his arms in the air. He then put his arm around his niece to give her a squeeze. "Congrats! Why didn't you say anything soon—"

"Calm down, Uncle Josh," Riley replied seriously. "I didn't say yes."

Josh was taken aback, "Excuse me, what?"

"Oh, Josh, just let the girl talk!" Maya lightly hit him.

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you, Peaches." She cleared her throat, " _Anyway_ , I said no. Not because I don't want to be his girlfriend—because believe me, I do. I said no because I wanted him to work for it."

"Work for it? Hasn't the past couple of years been enough?" Josh asked.

"Honestly, no," Riley looked at her hands. "I wanted to make sure that he was worth it, you know? That he wouldn't hurt me. So I gave him a list of things to do. And if he completes it, I'll agree to go on an official date with him and be his girlfriend."

"So him spending time with me…" Josh's voice trailed off as he put the pieces together, "that was because of you?"

"Mhm," Riley nodded. "He wouldn't have done it otherwise, because he's intimidated by you. Or at least, he was. But that doesn't make your newfound friendship with him any less real. He would've warmed up to you eventually, and I'm glad he did. Are you mad, Uncle Josh?"

"Mad?" Josh scoffed. "Why would I be mad? It's a good plan, Riley. Guess I really don't need to scare him off, you're doing a great job taking care of yourself."

"Thanks," Riley smiled. "But I really am glad you two are friends now."

"He's not half bad," Josh shrugged. A thought occurred to him, and then he began to laugh. "Oh, so that diary entry… that was on the list too?"

Maya burst out laughing at the memory. She really enjoyed that. In fact, everyone there did.

"Yes," Riley nodded. "Wanted to make sure he would do anything for me."

"After seeing him on TV just now, I have no doubt he would," Josh chuckled.

"Okay, now shush," Riley put a finger to her lips. "The second half is starting."

* * *

"You are so embarrassing," Zay palmed his face after they were off the jumbotron.

"But hey, we fulfilled your childhood dream!" Lucas pointed out, nudging Zay.

Zay rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

"God, I sure hope Riley saw that," Lucas sighed.

"I hope not," Zay replied. Lucas shot him a look. "If Riley saw it, that means Maya saw it. And if Maya saw it, she will laugh at us. Forever."

"It's Maya," Lucas said. "She laughs at anything we do."

"That's a good point," Zay nodded.

"Besides, if Farkle and Smackle saw it too," Lucas continued, "Smackle would also never let us hear the end of it. So loosen up a little and learn to laugh at yourself. Riley taught me that."

"Riley taught you a lot of things, huh?"

"What can I say? The girl's been a good influence on me," Lucas replied with a shrug.

"Then what's been taking you so long?" Zay rolled his eyes. "You're always going on and on about how much you like her but yet you still haven't asked her to be your girlfriend."

Lucas sighed, "Hey. You don't know what's going on between us, man. I know you're my best friend and all, but there are some things between me and Riley that I don't tell anyone, not even you."

"What are you saying?"

"Maybe it's not me, maybe it's Riley," Lucas shrugged.

"What do you mean?"

"I have the courage to ask Riley out," Lucas informed him, "and I did. She's the one who didn't say yes right away."

"And you're okay with that?"

"She's scared, and she has every right to be," Lucas pursed his lips. "But I promise you, Zay, she'll be my girlfriend as soon as you know it."

"God, I hope so," Zay replied. "Maybe then you can embarrass her instead of me."

"Excuse me, Riley doesn't get embarrassed of me," Lucas said. "And she never will be."

"She wasn't embarrassed by that little stunt you pulled at Open Mic Night?" Zay asked.

"No, why would she be?"

"Because it was her diary?" Zay pointed out.

"Who told you?"

"Farkle."

"Anything else he tell ya?" Lucas raised his eyebrow.

"Nah, that was it," Zay shrugged. "But that doesn't make your performance any less hilarious. Because I almost died laughing."

"Glad you enjoyed that, bud," Lucas rolled his eyes.

* * *

Right after the game, Maya returned home. Riley couldn't even wait until Maya's foot was out the bay window when she decided to call Lucas with a huge grin on her face.

"Lucas, hey!" The excitement in her voice was too hard to hide from him. It meant a lot to her that he willingly embarrassed himself in front of New York City. Everyone at Abigail Adams were huge basketball fans, and she knew that everyone would be talking about it come Monday morning. Nonetheless, she was proud of what he did for her. Most guys are so prideful, they wouldn't do half the things Lucas had done for Riley.

"Hi," Lucas laughed at the brunette's enthusiasm.

"Hey," Riley repeated dreamily. She quickly shook herself out of it. "Are you home yet? How was the game?"

"Almost, just a couple blocks away," Lucas said. "Would you like to FaceTime?"

Riley didn't answer and quickly peeled the phone off her ear to press the video call button. It only took two seconds before she saw Lucas's handsome face on her screen.

"You saw the game, huh?" Lucas smiled sheepishly.

"You knew I was going to see it," Riley giggled. "Why didn't you tell me you were going?"

"Because they were _my_ tickets," Zay said off-screen. Zay moved his face beside Lucas's to be in view of the brunette. "And we both know that if you knew about them, you'd try to steal my tickets."

"Hi, Zay," Riley waved, ignoring his comment. She knew he was right about the tickets. "Some game, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Zay replied. "Your man over here embarrassed the shit out of me."

"It was funny!" Riley pointed out.

"Yeah, okay," Zay nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sugar." He was still walking beside Lucas, but now he was once again off-screen.

"Bye, Zay," Riley replied.

"You never miss a game, do you?" Lucas asked.

"Nope," Riley replied proudly. "Would've sucked if I missed it though."

"It would've been your loss," Lucas chuckled. "I was amazing."

"You were," Riley giggled. "You, sir, are not messing around with this list. All I wanted you to do was wear a Knicks shirt for a day, but then you took it a step further."

"The opportunity was there," Lucas shrugged. "I figured you'd love it more if I embarrassed myself in front of the entire city. And possibly my friends back home in Texas."

"Fair enough," Riley sighed dreamily.

"If you're gonna be in the Garden, you gotta represent the Knicks, right?" Lucas said sheepishly, quoting Riley from her infamous Knicks rant that made him fall for her even more.

* * *

 **Oh my god you guys! Only one task left! What do you think it is?**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Apologies for the super short chapter. This needed to be its own chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

This was it. Lucas was about to finish the list Riley had given him weeks ago. He honestly thought he would've finished sooner, but boy, the brunette did not make it easy for him. But that didn't matter, because he was going to complete the last task and then she was going to be his girlfriend. You know, if she would consider it.

Lucas took a deep breath. He had never been more nervous in his life. He found this last task more terrifying than the time he rode Tombstone the bull, or anything else on the list. Lucas raised his fist and knocked on the door. He waited for a response as his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.

"Ah, Mr. Friar," Cory answered the door. He leaned against the doorframe with a smirk. "You here to babysit Auggie again?"

"No, Sir," Lucas replied. "But I'd be delighted to if you ever need anyone to look after him."

"I appreciate the offer, Lucas, but—" Before Cory could finish his sentence, Lucas squeezed past him to get into the apartment. He sat on the couch and waited for a confused Cory to follow him. Cory sat down beside the boy with a scrunched face. As much as he liked Lucas, he sometimes wondered what went on in that teenage boy mind of his. Probably no good thoughts about his daughter, that's for sure.

"Actually, Sir, I'm here to see you," Lucas rubbed his hands together before wiping them on his pants. He turned to Cory, whose demeanor shifted.

"Oh, really?" Cory's eyes lit up. "No one ever comes to see me. Except Maya, sometimes."

"I want to talk to you about your daughter," Lucas said.

"Figures," Cory muttered.

Lucas chuckled nervously, "Ah, yeah. She's not here right now, is she?"

"At the bakery for a shift," Cory answered. He raised a brow. "But I'm sure you knew that." Cory placed a hand on Lucas's shoulder and gently squeezed it, "You know you don't have to ask me for permission every time you and Riley go out, right?"

"I know, Sir," Lucas nodded with a nervous chuckle. "But this isn't about that."

"Then what is it?" Cory asked.

Unbeknownst to the two, Topanga had overheard them from her and Cory's bedroom and decided to snoop. She stood in the corridor that led to the living room and leaned against the door frame. She folded her arms across her chest and she smirked. This was going to be interesting.

"What's going on, Mommy?" Auggie asked as he noticed his mother standing in the doorway. "Is Lucas here for me? Riley's not here so I'm assuming that's why he's here. Maybe he wants to take me to the movies again!"

"I'm afraid he's not here for you, Auggie," Topanaga answered. "He's here for your father."

"Why?" Auggie looked confused.

"Let's watch," Topanga smirked, ruffling her son's curly hair.

"You want my permission to ask Riley to be your girlfriend?" Cory said, giving Lucas a look.

"Yes, Sir," Lucas nodded.

"Why?"

"I care about what you and Mrs. Matthews think of me," Lucas replied. "And I know how much you care about Riley. And so I want to make sure that you approve of me and that you're okay with me potentially dating her."

"So you want my blessing," Cory replied. As much as he pretended to dislike Lucas, Cory couldn't help but feel relieved that this was the guy who was going to be Riley's first boyfriend. A kind, smart, sweet young man who was raised right. Lucas didn't need to ask Cory for permission, but the fact that he respected him enough to actually ask made Cory sure that this was the boy for his daughter.

"I do," Lucas confirmed.

The two sat in silence for a few seconds. Cory patted his legs before standing up and raising his arms, "You want my blessing, Friar? You got it!"

"What? Really?" Lucas stood up as well, his face surprised.

"Yeah," Cory nodded. He patted Lucas on the back, "I've always liked you, Lucas."

"You have?" Lucas couldn't help but smile. He always knew that Cory had a liking for him deep down, but it was still nice to have the validation.

"Of course. The day you walked into my classroom and I saw the look on my daughter's face. I knew that look. I knew you were the one," Cory confessed.

"Then why do you always try to scare me off?" Lucas asked with furrowed brows.

"As her father, it's my job to protect her," Cory chuckled. "And I'm also scared that my little girl is growing up. But I know you'd never do anything to hurt her, right?"

"No, Sir, not intentionally," Lucas promised.

"What about that first day of high school?" Cory said. Lucas's eyes grew wide. "Yeah, she told me about that."

"Sir, you gotta understand the situation. I was very angry, and I know I was wrong for putting it all on her, but—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Cory interrupted. "Riley told me everything. I get it. Everyone had their fault during that transition. It was a stressful time."

Lucas felt embarrassed. But the fact that Cory wasn't mad about that ordeal had to mean something, right?

"There's something else I want to give you besides my blessing," Cory said. He began to walk towards Riley's room, bumping into Topanga and Auggie along the way. Lucas was confused, but he followed anyway.

"Did you hear all of that?" Cory asked his wife and son.

Topanga and Auggie eagerly nodded. They then engulfed Lucas into a hug.

"Okay, now," Cory said. "Lucas and I are not finished talking."

"Where are you taking him?" Topanga asked.

"Riley's room," he replied. "I need to give him something."

"Alright, I gotta make dinner anyway," Topanga shrugged. She turned to Lucas. "Guess we'll be seeing more of you now that you and my Riley are going to start dating."

"Of course, Mrs. Matthews," Lucas smiled.

Cory and Lucas entered Riley's room and Lucas sat at the bay window like usual. Cory opened the door to Riley's closet, grabbed a bucket and placed it beside the patient boy. It was the bucket full of Lucas's shoes, the ones that Cory would manage to grab whenever he chased him out of his daughter's room and out the window. He had done it so often that Riley decided to get a bucket for them.

"Huh, I was wondering what you did with all my shoes, Sir," Lucas said.

"Riley wanted to keep them," Cory shrugged, taking a seat next to Lucas. "That little weirdo." He shook his head in amusement. "But I'm surprised you haven't resorted to wearing two different shoes. I'm sure you've got a lot of incomplete pairs."

"Dozens," Lucas confirmed. "But you not throwing away my shoes only further proves to me that you like me, Sir."

"Don't tell your friends, Friar," Cory said. "It'll ruin my reputation. Farkle doesn't call me Hambone for nothing."

"Of course," Lucas laughed. "Your fondness for me will be just between us two. And Riley."

Lucas felt odd carrying the bucket of shoes home. People he passed on the streets didn't seem to care, though. It was New York City; Lucas was sure they've seen much weirder things. But one thing was for sure, though. Lucas finally completed the last item on the list. Riley Matthews was going to be his girlfriend tomorrow.

* * *

 **I feel like most of you got the last item right! Damn, am I that predictable? I would apologize again for taking a month to update, but I'm sure you're all tired of my excuses. I'll make it up to you in the next (possibly last) chapter! I promise!**


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